96 Weeks
by Cash1122
Summary: There were 96 weeks between the best day of Kayla Ellis's life and the end of her world, and they were anything but boring. A Sequel-of-Sorts to From Erskine to Ellis, it takes place between Chapter 71 and Chapter 72 of that story, so I recommend you read that before you read this one! I don't own any Marvel characters, only my own original characters! Rated M for sexual themes.
1. Week 1

The sunrise was indescribable. There was no breeze to blow the leaves from the trees. Not even the wild animals that called Wakanda home made a sound. Everything was quiet. Everything was still.

It was a stark contrast to the night before. The banquet hall of the Wakandan Palace had been alive with guests of Captain Rogers and his bride. The hall had been filled with laughter and dancing and drinking and love. Natasha had enjoyed the company of Mathew and Sandra Ellis, catching them up on their daughter's adventures that Kayla hadn't elaborated on while living at home. Wanda allowed Shuri to question her about the experiments she endured at the hands of Strucker and the abilities she now possessed. T'Challa actually spent much of the evening with Bucky Barnes, the former trying hard to bury the hatchet he'd created because of Zemo. And Tiffany? Well, she spent her best friend's wedding night with the man she loved, knowing it would be a very long time before she'd see him again, if ever again. They had made out in a dark corner for a while before retreating to Sam's room. But despite their best efforts, they succumbed to sleep long before their friends.

So when the sun came up over Wakanda that Sunday morning, Kayla Rogers slept soundly, tangled in her dark sheets, her legs entwined with her husband's. It wasn't until a loud barking was heard outside their bedroom door that the couple began to stir. Kayla slowly bat her eyes open, allowing herself to look upon the man she'd made love to all through the night. Quite literally. Although neither of them had been keeping track of time, Kayla knew hours had passed by. Kayla Ellis could say she'd had sex with nineteen men, and none of them could hold a candle to the one man Kayla Rogers had slept with.

Kayla moaned, stretching her leg against Steve's thigh. Steve squished his face, holding her tighter to his bare chest in an effort to keep her from leaving the comfort of the bed. She smiled against the place where his collarbone met his neck, snuggling him to show she wasn't ready to leave his side. "Good morning." She mumbled, pressing a kiss against his neck.

"Morning Kay. How'd you sleep?" Steve asked lovingly, opening his blue eyes to stare at her like she was his entire world.

Kayla scoffed, allowing her teeth to break out of her smile, "When did I sleep?"

"You'll never sleep again if I have my way..." Steve growled, turning his body slowly to go from beneath his wife to straddling her, holding himself up by the elbows to not crush her, even though he knew well by now she could take his weight.

Kayla laughed openly, meeting his hungry lips with her own before laying her head back against the pillow, enjoying the view. "I love you, Steve."

"I love you too Kay."

"I can tell." She answered coyly, rubbing her calf against his cock, which was once again hardening at her presence.

Steve's lusty blue eyes shamelessly scanned over her body, wanting to ravish her again and again. Just the night before, Steve had been nervous and inexperienced, but now he was a confident professional, ready to pleasure his wife like it was his sole purpose in life. He contemplated his options: get up and start the day, or make sweet sweet love to Kayla for the eighth time since yesterday.

"Did you enjoy it?" Steve asked huskily, lowering himself onto Kayla, which caused the blonde to throw her head back and moan.

"No. Not at all. You're terrible." She lied, her brows furrowed as she became impatient with his teasing, but unfortunately, he took her words to heart and pulled away.

The hurt look on Steve's face caused Kayla to grab onto his face, stroking his jaw as her eyes softened. "Don't joke about that Kayla-"

"You are the best sex I've ever had. You are perfect, and don't you dare think otherwise, do you hear me?" Kayla scolded, rubbing his cheeks with each of her thumbs gently.

"Better than Stark?"

"Obviously. He doesn't have your stamina." Kayla laughed, lifting her knee to push against his naked hip. "He also isn't as gentle, as sweet, as chivalrous, as passionate... shall I go on?"

"Yes please," Steve whispered loudly, beginning to nibble on her neck as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down onto her again. "I could be... less gentle, less sweet..."

"Or you could be you. Because you are perfect, remember." Kayla moved swiftly, sneaking a kiss. "We should probably get up honey. Face the day."

"I'd rather not. We could stay here and avoid responsibility." Steve whined, knowing that Kayla was ready to leave their haven.

"But I'm hungryyy." She responded, trying without luck to wiggle from beneath Captain America, "We can be alone in Argentina. On our honeymoon. Let's go."

Steve snorted in protest but pushed himself off of her enough for Kayla to slide out from under him, torturing him as she did so. Once she was free, Steve allowed himself to fall onto the soft mattress, enjoying the plush comfort. Ever since waking up from the ice, he'd found modern beds far too soft. But this morning was different because the comfort was soothing to his aching muscles. He had been sore before after missions, but this was different.

"Ow, ow, ow." Kayla whimpered, finding herself in much more pain now that she'd stood. Steve raised his head questioningly, eyes asking if Kayla was alright and if she needed rescuing. He didn't say anything, but Kayla just put a hand up, telling him she'd be fine. "I've just got to... walk it off."

As Kayla slowly made her way toward the bathroom and shut the door, Steve pressed his head back down against the soft pillow. He folded his hands together and smiled. Proud of himself for a job well done.

* * *

Approximately two minutes after Kayla locked herself in the bathroom, Steve realized the repercussions of them staying in bed: he'd have to face his friends before they could leave for their honeymoon.

They'd ask him about last night.

He wasn't ready for that.

Cap sprung from the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom door. As he pounded loudly, he yelped to his wife, "Kay! We've gotta go!"

The blonde swung the door open quickly, suds still piled on top of her head as she peered out at Steve, not bothering to even wrap herself in a towel. There were no more surprises for Steve Rogers here. Eyes wide, she questioned the soldier, "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"We need to leave. Now. If we don't go soon, Bucky and Sam will-"

A firm knock cut Steve off, and both turned to look at the door, each with very different emotions. Steve turned scarlet, embarrassed for the questions that awaited him. Kayla looked smug, knowing he'd have a lot to talk about. Before he could protest, Kayla closed the bathroom door, making her way back into the shower to finish getting clean.

Steve sighed and ignored the knocking for a moment as he scoured the floor to find something to wear. He couldn't answer the door of the room naked. Once he had thrown on some sweatpants and a white shirt, Steve slowly opened the door, seeing Sam and Bucky waiting impatiently on the other side. Zawadi ran between the two men, jumping up into Steve's arms with ease. The large chestnut dog licked his master lovingly, his massive pink tongue easily covering Steve's face with his slobber. "Hey buddy, I missed you too. I'm sorry you weren't with us last night." Steve assured the dog as Zawadi continued to lick his face, unrelenting in his affection.

"Yeah, he was a pain in the ass." Sam moaned, Bucky smirking silently to the pilot's left. "Wanda dropped him off in our room after we went to bed. Woke Tiffany and I up this morning with his barking."

"Sorry, Sam. Hopefully, he won't be too much trouble while we are away." Steve looked from Sam to Bucky as he set the dog on the floor, but Bucky continued to stare at him, his blank gaze saying more than a thousand words could. "Don't give me that look jerk," Steve told Barnes, crossing his arms defensively.

Bucky shrugged, his smile only growing, "I didn't come here to drop off your dog." The Winter Soldier side eyed Falcon, wishing Steve hadn't found another best friend so he could revel in Steve's wedding night alone.

"So how was your night with the infamous Miss Ellis?" Sam sneered, ignoring Bucky's glare.

Steve winked at his friends, "I didn't spend the night with Miss Ellis. But my evening with Mrs. Rogers was perfect." He started to close the door on his friends, and Bucky reached out his right arm to keep the door open, but two of Steve's arms easily outpowered Bucky's one, effectively stopping the boys from their snooping into Steve's love life.

Once the door was closed, Kayla emerged, wearing her white silk robe from the night before as she wrung out her hair, "They come to harass you about last night?"

"That. And to drop off this nut." Steve gestured to Zawadi, who simply panted up at Kayla, not offering her the same greeting he had given Steve. Kayla knelt down, and Zawadi slowly pattered over to her, offering her one long lick on the cheek as she grinned happily, not knowing his excitement for Steve had been heightened. Zawadi wandered away, jumping easily onto the messy bed and laying his head down, content to be with his family at last. "Apparently he was naughty for Sam and Tiffany."

"He was probably _distracting_ for Sam and Tiffany, but it wasn't _their _wedding night, so I'm not too worried about it." Kayla laid herself onto the bed, letting one leg fall to the side so Steve could see she wasn't wearing any underwear, causing the color in his cheeks to grow. "He'll be fine while we are gone. He's got room to roam. If nothing else, I'm sure Bucky would like his company."

"Bucky told me yesterday Zawadi wouldn't stop growling at him."

"Rome wasn't built in a day, they'll have time to bond while we are gone. Argentinaaa" Kayla hummed, lifting her hand toward Steve for him to take it and pull her up. "Are you going to shower?"

Steve looked toward the steamy bathroom, not enticed by the humidity held within it. "I think I'm good. I'll shower when we get where we are going. Speaking of which..." He trailed off, nodding his head toward the packed suitcase by the door.

Kayla looked from the suitcase to her dog. Zawadi looked content, sitting up straight on the bed panting, his long tongue hanging out as he watched Steve and Kayla talk, unaware of their plans to leave him again. "Did you at least give Sam and Barnes something to make their trip worthwhile? Considering I'll have to drop Zaddi off with Tiffany again."

"Nope. Nothing interesting." Steve assured proudly, his smile reaching up to his eyes. "Get dressed. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can get back to where we left off."

Kayla smiled knowingly, seeing that Steve had tasted a new kind of drug that he just couldn't get enough of. She was happy to oblige. "Ten minutes. Then we'll go. Now go see Bucky and Sam, I'm sure they are tearing each other apart without you."

Steve kissed Kayla deeply, holding her face against his before pulling away and leaving the bedroom. Alone, Kayla clicked to Zawadi for him to follow her into the bathroom, where she sat down at the vanity and began to do her makeup.

"So, how was last night?"

Kayla jumped at the voice, turning to see Natasha right behind her, Wanda leaning against the bathroom doorframe stifling a giggle. "Jesus Nat, you scared the crap out of me." Kayla hissed, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Once composed, her eyes narrowed seductively as she swung around to face her friends. "Also, that's none of your business." Kayla winked, then turned quickly to continue her makeup.

"Did he cry?" Nat pressed jokingly, her grin ever present.

"No, he did not cry." Kayla defended, staring ahead as she applied mascara to her long eyelashes.

"Did you cry?" Wanda blurted, causing Kayla and Natasha to look back toward the psychic. "What?" Wanda asked incredulously as she twisted her long red hair in her hands, not wanting all the attention on her, "It seemed like a legitimate question?"

Kayla bopped her head back and forth thoughtfully, "Maybe a little. We went quite a few rounds."

"We know." Natasha and Wanda deadpanned in unison, causing Kayla to stop applying her eyeliner and laugh.

"Sorry. Uh- my bad." Kayla laughed, applying blush that should have matched her cheeks if she had any shame at all. "It was a perfect day, and a wonderful night, and I can't wait to get away from all of you nosy people and be somewhere _alone _with Steve."

"Fly safe Kayla. I'll see you soon." Wanda moved toward her friend, arms spread for a hug. Kayla rose and held the girl tight, not wanting her to leave, but knowing Wanda needed her own life.

"You be safe. Let us know if you need anything. Anything at all okay?" Kayla grabbed Wanda by the face, showing her offer was serious. Then she let the girl back away, turning to Nat. "Natasha?"

"Yeah yeah, have fun in South America. I'll see you soon. Take care of Cap okay? Don't break him." Natasha elbowed Kayla playfully, but Kayla simply grabbed the assassin and hugged her too.

"See you soon. Two weeks. Unless I convince Steve to run away forever. In which case I'll let you know where I'll be picking up my dog." Kayla nodded toward Zawadi who was now panting beside Wanda, wanting to be part of the conversation.

Natasha rolled her eyes at the large creature, shaking her head as she followed Wanda out of the suite, waving over her shoulder as she went. As quickly as Wanda and Natasha left, Steve returned, red as a tomato.

"You alright?" Kayla asked when she saw him standing in the doorway of the bathroom. She pulled her hair up into a tight bun on top of her head and zipped up her makeup bag, ready to pack it away.

Steve gave one long nod, never taking his eyes off of Kayla, somewhat haunted by whatever was bothering him.

"Bucky and Sam give you a hard time?" Kayla inquired again, a sympathetic smile brightening her features.

Steve looked at his shoes, kicking at the door, "Little bit. There are some things that gentlemen shouldn't talk about-"

"It's what men do. It wouldn't be the first time someone went into _great _detail about having sex with me darling. I aim to please." Kayla winked at her husband, easing him a little from the traumatizing questions his friends had greeted him with. "Plus, Nat asked if you cried."

"What?"

* * *

The quinjet ride to Argentina was long. Kayla and Steve Rogers spent nine whole hours aboard the jet, but neither complained. They sat in comfortable silence or reminisced about the past several years, and occasionally spoke about what they would do once they reached their destination. Kayla had once told Steve she wanted to go to Argentina because she had 'never been and it was the first place she thought of'. So that's where he decided to take her.

"We should be arriving in Mendoza within the hour. I'll put the jet down in the mountains, no one should bother it while we are here." Steve explained, looking at the GPS on the dashboard of the quinjet.

"Mountain views, private pool, outdoor fireplace." Kayla hummed, closing her eyes to imagine their suite. "It'll he magical. Just you and me. No trouble. No Avengers."

"When I was in the States picking up your parents, I stopped by the pharmacy to buy condoms. Cleaned them out. I think the cashier is worried about my activities." Steve chuckled, looking at Kayla out the corner of his eyes.

"They have no idea." Kay laughed, wrapping her arms around Steve from behind, placing her chin comfortably on top of his head as he flew the plane. "Have I mentioned I love you?"

"Yes. But I'll never get tired of hearing it Mrs. Rogers." Steve grinned, loving the sound of his wife's name on his lips.

As the mountainous ridge of the Andes came into view, Kayla felt content. She was mentally preparing herself for the three long years that laid ahead of them, but for now, some well earned rest. Steve was preparing to spoil his wife for two weeks, so she had to make the most of what little alone time they had.

Once Steve landed the quinjet on a flat area of the mountain range, he opened the back, picking up the suitcase to carry it to their destination.

"Aren't you glad I packed light?" She jested, patting Steve firmly on the back as she followed him toward the resort. "We could have transferred to another mode of transportation..."

"This is fine. We won't leave the resort anyway." Steve huffed, looking at the GPS he'd brought along. "It's just thirty miles that way." He gestured away from the mountains, and Kayla groaned. She could easily walk thirty miles, she just didn't want to."

"Steven Rogers checking in," Steve told the receptionist with a breathless smile. She grinned back at him, then muttered in Spanish that the handsome man must have walked from Heaven.

"Ese es mi esposo. Apartate." Kayla snarled in broken Spanish, causing the embarrassed receptionist to quickly type in her desktop computer and print out two keys. Kayla lazily draped her left arm over Steve's shoulder, showing off her massive wedding ring to the young woman.

"Here you go." The woman said quietly, in perfect English which caused Steve to turn from her to Kayla, his wife's smug grin more threatening than any words she could say. As Steve turned them away, leading her toward their corner room.

"What did the woman say? Is she suspicious of us?" Steve questioned his mind always on the defense.

"Don't worry about it."

"Well, what did you say to her?"

"Don't worry about that either."

Steve squished his face, skeptical of his wife's words but he didn't feel like harassing her about it. "I didn't know you spoke Spanish."

"Enough. Tiffany and I have friends in Spain. It's beautiful this time of year. Maybe we can go sometime?" Kayla answered as they arrived at their room on the far end of the resort. She opened the door slowly, revealing a beautiful suite. Kayla dropped the key on the table, looking around the bedroom before wandering to their private patio. A small pool sat next to an outdoor fireplace, a rounded seating bench near the fire with candles along the edges. It overlooked the Andes mountains, but a lush wine vineyard sat between. "It's beautiful Steve."

"Almost as beautiful as you." He murmured, coming up behind Kayla to wrap his arms around her. His fingers began to play with the straps of her wrap dress, wanting to rid her of it. "We are here. Let's get back to business shall we?"

Kayla raised her eyebrow. "Don't mix business with pleasure darling. It never works out."

"I was on business when I met you. That worked out alright." He argued, fiddling with the belt more aggressively.

"Just undress me already Steve," Kayla ordered, turning around in his arms to face him. She grabbed a hold of his green button up shirt that he'd worn for traveling. Once she had a tight grip in each hand, she hungrily ripped it open, causing Steve to stare at her in disbelief.

"You ripped my shirt?" Before she could defend herself, he grabbed a hold of her wrap dress and tugged it harshly, ripping the thin fabric. "There. Now we are even."

Kayla wasn't even mad.

She leaped from the ground into Steve's arms, kissing him desperately as he backed them into the suite, sliding the glass door closed without looking, and pulling the blinds to give them some privacy.


	2. Week 2

The next six days went by the same as Sunday: Kayla and Steve woke up, had sex, ordered room service, had sex in the pool, ordered lunch, had sex in the shower, had sex in the bed, ordered dinner, drank wine until they could _almost _feel tipsy, then had more sex.

Finally, by the next Sunday, the pair had exhausted every single technique the two could dream up, and they were ready to actually leave the resort.

Steve wore khaki cargo shorts and a black running shirt and tennis shoes, looking as much like a tourist as he ever had in his life. He held Kayla's hand as they ventured into a nearby town. Kayla wore a tiny pair of jean shorts that barely covered her ass, but showed off her muscular legs that went on for days. Her loose red tanktop flowed midway down her shorts, and the criss-cross of the back straps was already giving her tan lines. Her long, wavy hair was pulled up into a messy bun that worked as a nest of sorts for her aviator sunglasses. Life was simple. It was nice. Steve still opening doors for Kayla and holding her hand as they walked. The honeymoon faze would be short lived, but Kayla would soak it in and store it away. She wanted to remember her husband and herself like this, because this was the life she would dream about for the next three years.

Kayla was wandering down the street, looking into the store windows. A boutique caught her eye and she darted inside, beginning to sift through the clothing for something she could wear. An old woman sat in a chair near the cash register against the front wall, waiting to see if her customers were planning on buying anything today. She looked over Steve and Kayla curiously, noticing they weren't locals.

"You are Americans?" She asked, her voice heavily accented. The woman's grey hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Her skin was worn, and crows feet attacked the outer corners of her curious eyes. She watched the couple, the wheels in her head turning as she searched her memories for why these two struck a cord in her soul.

"Yes. We are on our honeymoon." Kayla responded proudly, placing her hand on Steve's chest to show off her ring before continuing trying on hats.

The woman nodded slowly, watching them carefully until the memory finally struck, and her curious face turned bitter, "You look familiar."

"Me? Naw, I'm nobody special." Kayla scoffed with a playful shrug, unaffected by the woman's prying. She was making friendly conversation as she placed a large black floppy hat back onto a table before picking up a red scarf and placing it around her hair. "Your accent. It's not Argentinian."

The store owner's eyes narrowed in on Kayla, spite clouding her voice. "German. And I wasn't talking to you."

Kayla tilted her head thoughtfully toward the woman. Her green eyes scanned the old lady for anything familiar, but her mind came up blank. This woman knew Steve, which wasn't _completely_ out of the realm of possibility. She was elderly, and very well could have been around when Steve was fighting in the war. Either way, whether the lady was crazy or truly did know who Steve was, it was time for them to go. Kayla picked out a red scarf with white flowers embroidered on it and took it to the counter for the woman to ring up. "I'll take this, please. We should probably get going. It's nearly lunch time. Do you recommend anywhere to eat around here?" Kayla inquired sweetly, her eyes never leaving the suspicious woman.

"There's a little cafe down the street. My grandson owns it. The food is delicious. I'll let him know you're coming." The woman smiled back, but her smile was devious instead of genuine, and it made Kayla's stomach churn.

"Could you tell my husband where to go? I'm terrible with directions." Kayla chuckled, but it was fake. She wrapped the scarf around her neck and wandered slowly to a mirror to see her own reflection, but she never looked at the scarf. She was busy eyeing the woman as she spoke to Steve, the man taking cash out of his pocket to pay for his wife's purchase.

"Thank you for your help. We appreciate it." Steve said and Kayla took that as her cue to leave. She made her way toward the door and waved happily as Steve held it open for her, resting his large hand on the small of her back as she walked.

As soon as she was out of the store, Kayla's smile dropped into a leery scowl. Once they were out of sight of the store, she unwound the scarf and pressed it into a garbage can. Steve stared straight ahead, going in the direction the woman had told him until he was sure she could no longer see them. "That was..."

"Spooky. Uncomfortable. Slightly unnerving." Kayla supplied, peering around, "Let's go back to the resort. Now. And stay there for a while."

Steve grunted, looking offended at her plan, "It's just a little old lady. I'm sure it's fine-"

"It's a little old German lady who seems to recognize you and wants us to go to her grandson's diner for lunch. Because she was calling ahead to tell him we were coming. Doesn't that sound a little fishy to you?" Kayla inquired. She twisted her hands, trying to get out some of the nervous energy she felt toward the woman. Her jaw was so tight it was starting to hurt and her eyebrows were crunched together in thought. "We could go back and have more sex? Sex is safe. Sex is far away from that creepy lady."

"What? Do you think she'd Hydra?" Steve joked with a laugh. He would never tell Kayla, but he was taking the situation very seriously. If Kayla knew that, she wouldn't let him investigate, but she knew her husband well after all these years and saw right through his facade. He was a soldier, not a spy, and lying didn't come naturally to him.

Kayla rolled her eyes, "Maybe. Why do you always feel the need to run into a fight? This is clearly a trap."

"I know. But if this really _is _a Hydra group we should look into it and stop them, Kay."

"After the honeymoon. We've talked about this Steve..." Kayla smacked his arm lightly, trying to knock some sense into his thick head. But she knew it was a losing battle with Captain America. Kayla sighed deeply, ready to acquiesce Steve's request. "Fine. But I still don't like it."

"She said they make amazing empanadas. I don't think I've ever had one. I'm curious." Steve admitted shyly, looking at Kayla from under his thick eyelashes. He knew she couldn't resist him when he acted cute.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I know you're curious, and it is not about the food. I already said we could go to the empanaaaadaaaas." Kayla cooed in return, gifting Steve a brisk kiss before grabbing his strong hand in hers. Kayla let him lead her down the street, uncomfortable, but willing to let her husband prove her wrong.

A bell rung as they entered the little cafe. It was worn down on the outside, but the inside was decorated brightly. Business seemed to treat the family establishment well. A young man practically skipping to the front door to greet them. He held up two fingers and Kayla nodded, "Dos." She answered in Spanish, earning a questioning look from the young man. "Zwei?" She answered again, this time in German, and his eyes hardened on her. Steve's glance fell on his wife as well, a stern look in his face. She was fishing for trouble.

"Mamma said you were coming! She met you two at her shop down the street." A man in his forties approached the pair, and Steve smiled at him and shook his hand. The man's English was very good, but his accent was thick like his grandmother's. "Here. I'll be right back to take your order. Anything to drink?"

"Water will be fine, thank you," Steve answered before Kayla could say something rude. He sat across from her, hands clasped together to begin scolding her. "Kay-"

"Don't Kay me, this is sketchy and you know it," Kayla warned, holding up her pointer finger to the sky to prove her point. "Let's get our empanadas and get back to bed. Unless you are tired of sex already." Kayla pushed out her lower lip, baby talking the soldier.

"Here you go." The owner sat down two glasses of water in front of the couple, and Steve turned to smile at the man, "Could we get two orders of your empanadas, please? Your grandmother recommended them."

"Coming right up." The man said, eyeing Steve carefully. Looking for something. Clarifying something.

Kayla pressed her pointer fingers together, pressing them to her lips thoughtfully. Steve tilted his head to the side, watching his wife. "What is it darling?"

"What's the best way to get out of here fast?"

"What?" Steve asked, beginning to turn his head, but Kayla just leaned in, gaining his attention again.

"Best exit. Now. They are coming, and they've got guns. Call it now Cap." Kayla pressed, eyes darting over her husband's head.

Steve hesitated, and it took a moment too long. He took a sharp inhale of breath as he felt the cold barrel against the lower part of his skull. "Up. Now."

"We don't want any trouble sir!" Kayla cried out, standing quickly to try to pull the man's focus away from her husband. "Why are you doing this?"

The man sneered wickedly, eyes locked on Kayla's "Hail Hydra."

Steve ducked and Kayla anticipated the move, dodging the bullet as it went her way. Steve grabbed onto the table they had been sat at and flung it as hard as he could over the seat to crash into the man who had held him hostage. The man hit the ground hard after meeting the table, lucky it didn't crush him under its weight. The gun fell from his hand. Kayla slid toward the door but was cut off by the old woman from the store. The older woman moved toward Kayla, backing her into the cafe as Steve fought the two other cafe workers in hand to hand combat, throwing punches that easily knocked them out.

Steve lifted his head to look at the old woman, finding her standing there, a small gun in hand. She had it aimed not at Kayla, but at Steve, who was caught off guard by the old woman. "Look, we don't want any trouble. We are just here on vacation." Kayla pleaded, finding herself in front of her husband as the old woman cocked the gun.

"Tell that to my husband. He killed him." The woman gestured to Steve with her gun, lip quivering as her eyes watered.

"What? When?" Steve looked down the barrel of her gun, gulping deeply. Captain America hadn't actively tried to murder people, but that didn't mean people didn't die at his hands.

"Austria. November 3rd 1943. My husband was working for Hydra, serving his country. And then... you came along. There were no survivors from the explosion at the factory. I know... I walked the grounds myself." The old woman sneered, her hand shaking from rage and old age. She seemed uncomfortable with the weapon, but years of pent up blame had led her to this opportunity, and she wasn't going to let it go. "And now, now you come here to hurt my family again."

"Oh. Yeah, that was definitely _your_ bad. That was you and you alone." Kayla whispered loudly, backing into Steve's chest.

Steve put his arm protectively in front of Kayla, pushing her behind him to protect her. He didn't want to hurt the old woman, she was in pain, and it was his fault. "I didn't mean to kill anybody. I was just doing what I thought was right. I was just serving _my _country. I'm very sorry for your loss-"

"You chose the wrong side Captain America."

Kayla swooped down and grabbed the discarded gun from the floor, faster than the elderly woman could pull the trigger to shoot Steve. She kneeled down, one foot shot out to the side as she squatted near the unconscious man, aiming the gun at the woman and shooting it quickly. No hesitation. No remorse.

The woman fell dead before the couple, but it was Steve who shook, not the woman holding the gun tightly. She stared at her target. At her victim.

Kayla had just killed someone.

It wasn't the first time she'd considered it, it wasn't her first time holding the gun. She'd been prepared to kill Rumlow more than once. But she'd never been the one to pull the trigger, a gun more of a prop than a weapon. She'd never had the chance to pull the trigger.

"K-Kay?" Steve stammered, stumbling over to his wife as she rose slowly. The gravity of her actions came crashing down like a tidal wave. But that woman would have shot Steve. She was unrelenting in her revenge. Kayla had no choice, or else _she _would have lost her husband.

"Steve... I-I had to... I couldn't let her- she was going to-" Kayla held up the gun, not sure what she should do with it. "What have I done? Kayla collapsed into Steve's arms as the sirens got closer.

"We have to go. Let me take this." Steve wiggled the gun out of Kayla's hand and shoved it in the back of his shorts, pulling his running shirt over it to hide it. Then he scooped up Kayla and darted toward the kitchen, shoving past the swinging door and finding a door to the back of the cafe, sneaking away from the crime scene.

Once they reached their resort, Steve scurried through the lobby toward their suite, never putting Kayla down until they got to their room. Steve ran the jacuzzi tub and stripped off Kayla's red tank top and shorts as she stood before him, comatose in her own thoughts. She was drowning. She'd killed someone.

But... Steve.

"Hey. Hey it's okay. Baby, listen to me, you are gonna be okay. You saved my life. I love you... I love you so much." Steve pressed his forehead to hers, holding her face tightly in his hands. When she didn't answer, he walked her slowly toward the tub and picked her up, placing her in the hot water. He knelt beside her, watching her as she sat in silence, staring straight ahead without blinking. Steve gently rubbed his thumb against her upper arm, watching her carefully as she worked through the things that haunted her.

"I... killed somebody." Kayla finally muttered, eyes finally lifting from the cooling water to look into Steve's blue eyes. Drowning in his eyes. So full of life. She had to. She had to protect Steve.

"I've killed people too Kay. I'm so sorry that this happened to you. I'm so sorry that I'm the reason you had to do it, and I'm so sorry I can't take that guilt away. But I'll hold you and kiss you and protect you from those demons that will haunt you. Today... might not be the last time." Steve admitted, knowing he couldn't help her, but he could ease her into the idea of moving on.

"Will you join me?" She whispered. He could barely hear her voice, but he knew what she was asking. Without speaking, he rose, pulling off his black shirt and discarding it on the floor next to Kayla's clothes. He gradually pulled the gun from the back of his shorts, meeting Kayla's gaze as he did. He pulled it around to his front, showing it to Kayla before cracking it in half and moving to throw it in their suitcase, to take it away forever. They were never there.

After Steve returned to the bathroom, Kayla smiled up at him hopefully, wanting him to join her. It was a small spark, but it was enough to convince Steve she'd be okay. He stripped out of his shorts and underwear, kicking his shoes to the side before climbing over the wall and sliding in behind his wife, letting her rest against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. He pushed his neck forward, allowing his chin to rest on her soft shoulder. They'd only been married a week, and feeling her against him still felt new. He was familiar with her body, despite it changing with the serum. But he enjoyed these quiet moments when he could memorize the sensation of her against his bare skin. She was his, and he was hers, and nothing she could do would make him love her any less.

Steve pressed soft kisses onto the back of Kayla's shoulder. He wrapped his large arms around her and ran his calloused fingers along the soft skin on her muscular legs, closer to her core. Kayla couldn't stop the shiver that shook her spine at his touch, and she blushed, her own body betraying her cool, calm demeanor. Steve took the slight movement as a sign to continue, and Kayla's head lulled back against her husband at his movements, almost _happy _she'd pulled the trigger. Because if she hadn't, she would be denied this pleasure, and that was simply unacceptable.


	3. Week 4

"It's time."

Kayla looked up from her spot on the soft grass where she sat cross-legged as a young Wakandan girl played with her long blonde hair roughly. The little girl pulled the straight strands of hair into a messy braid, or what she thought a braid should look like. Kayla's pale skin was tan like it had been when she came home to D.C. from Wakanda years ago. This only made her hair look more white and her teeth more brilliant when she smiled.

But she didn't offer a smile at her husband's words.

"Already? I feel like we just got back." Kayla mumbled sadly, wincing a little as the small girl tugged harder on a tangle she was trying to smooth.

Steve knelt down, allowing himself to fall into a seated position as Zawadi laid down beside him, rolling over to present his belly for rubs. This distracted the young girl from Kayla because playing with the large dog piqued her interest more than yanking on the American woman's hair ever could. She roughly scratched Zawadi's belly, causing him to wiggle around under her touch excitedly.

With the girl and dog distracted, Steve turned his serious expression toward Kayla once more, "We've overstayed our welcome here-"

"T'Challa has been very clear he doesn't mind our company. They are in no hurry to rush us out." Kayla interrupted, laying down into the grass to stare at the sprawling blue sky above her as if to tell Steve she was happy exactly where she was.

Steve scooted closer to his wife, resting his large hand on her bare knee that bent up toward the sky. "I know, but we have to go. We have to clean up our mess Kayla. There've been reports of alien technology... in New York."

That captivated Kayla enough to pull her attention from the fluffy white clouds above her. They would be going home. "New York?"

"There was a bank robbery in Queens. Whatever the punks were using is powerful, shot a blast through the bank to a deli across the street. It decimated it." Steve dutifully quoted the reports he'd read on his tablet that morning while having breakfast with Natasha. The assassin was growing restless as well, ready to get back out into the world. She wasn't one for relaxing, even though the fresh air and honest Wakandan people did her some good.

Kayla grunted as she pushed herself up onto her elbows, allowing herself a better view of the handsome soldier before her. She took him in for a moment, allowing her eyes to scan his tight shirt and bulging arms, eventually leading up to his strong jaw and hopeful eyes. Even though he was aware they'd be on the run from the government, Steve was feeling homesick. Wakanda was peaceful and wonderful, but he needed something familiar. He needed to see Avengers Tower. He needed to walk along the Brooklyn Bridge. To ground himself in the real world, because since bringing his group of followers to Wakanda, he'd lived a happy fantasy. Kayla knew she'd promised him three years, and as much as she wanted to put off the fight for a while longer, the sooner they started, the sooner they'd finish their mission. "I'll start packing. In ten minutes. Its a beautiful day, and I want to remember this place... just in case we never come back."

"You've become increasingly sentimental over the years," Steve noted, staring over her instead of at her. While Kayla enjoyed soaking in the things she loved, Steve often found himself dreaming of days gone by. He never seemed to catch when times were good until they were gone. He was trying to let Kayla teach him to cherish the fleeting moments when they happened.

The little girl had run off to go home for the evening, allowing Zawadi's attention to go to his owner. He pummeled Kayla back into the grass, straddling her as he licked her face lovingly. Kayla laughed as his slobbery kisses covered her makeup-less face, covering her in the slime. She wrapped her strong arms around the heavy dog and rolled over, holding him uncomfortably tight to her chest in a loving embrace, which Zawadi returned by trying to wiggle out of her grasp.

Steve just watched, his lips twitching at the corners into a bittersweet smile. He was so torn. His head told him he was created for more than a simple life. An ordinary man would have died so many years ago, but he was no ordinary man. He was special, and he had a responsibility to protect. It's what he was _created _for. To fight the fights that normal men couldn't. But watching his wife so happy, so content, made him want to defy the intentions of those to gave him the super soldier serum in 1943. Purpose be damned, he wanted to spend the rest of his life making that woman laugh. His heart told him that he _survived_ to be with her.

Unlike Kayla though, Steve's head would win out. If the serum amplified traits that already existed, Steve would forever be selfless, and Kayla would be selfish. It was a vicious cycle where Steve had to put everyone before himself and Kayla cared about Steve. Desperately, hopelessly devoted to Steve. So when he told her it was time to leave- she would leave.

Zawadi finally moved from Kayla's face and neck to her bare arms, licking every part of her to basically give the woman a bath. Kayla sat up and smoothed down her purple tube top, adjusting the top band that held the shirt up. She pulled her long legs to her chest and hugged them, resting her chin on her knees as Zawadi continued to lick her arms. "I don't want to go. But I know we need to. Three years."

"And then we can spend the rest of our lives laying in the grass staring at the clouds. What're a few years when you have forever?" Steve's confidence practically radiated through his body as he easily stood, holding out his hand to help Kayla to her feet. Steve didn't worry about himself the way Kayla worried about him. She left Argentina with a sense of finality that Steve still hadn't come to experience after all of these years. Even though the disgruntled family didn't get the chance, Kayla was sure that Steve could bleed. Kayla knew that there was a bit of luck in Steve Rogers' life. Some force from above kept him safe despite all the times he flung himself into danger. He'd come to think of himself as invincible, even if he didn't say it out loud. He was sure he couldn't fail. For a long time, Steve went into battle because he had nothing to lose. But battle after battle he survived and even now that he had _everything _to lose he still fell into the habit of fighting.

The punk never walked away from a fight.

"I'll pack up what we have. I'll start getting the quinjet ready. You'll want to say goodbye to Barnes before we leave. He's not stable enough yet to leave Wakanda." Kayla warned, having spent a lot of time the past week with Shuri, going over her research into Seargent Barnes' mind. The Winter Soldier was better, but he was far from fixed, and he was far from safe. "I'll tell Natasha and Sam to prepare to leave. I know Nat's already packed."

"She never unpacked," Steve added before cradling Kayla's face in his palm. "I love you so much. I'm sorry I can't walk away from my responsibilities, but soon my time will be done and it'll just be the two of us."

"Three of us." Kayla pointed down at Zawadi who sat panting to her left side.

"Maybe four... or five... or six of us." Steve teased, pressing his free hand to her stomach, but she swatted it away.

"Good gosh, not yet Rogers. We aren't ready for kids." She laughed, kissing him deeply before pushing him away to launch herself toward the palace. "Let's go, darling."

"In all seriousness though," Steve asked, voice lowering, "What about him?" He gestured his head toward Zawadi who looked up at him lovingly, not understanding what Steve was insinuating.

"He's coming with us obviously. He's my baby." Kayla claimed naturally, "I'm not going to leave him here. I know he's happy, but, I can't lose him. He keeps me sane."

Steve just stared at Zawadi, loving the dog as much as Kayla. But he thought with his head first, and heart third, so he knew the Rhodesian would be difficult to travel with. "He's just so... big."

"But he's a good boy. Plus, I don't intend on doing that much fighting. I'm just moral support. He'll be fine with me. Isn't that right Zaddi? You want to go have adventures with Mommy and Daddy?" The Rhodesian Ridgeback barked loudly in agreement, his tongue hanging out of his mouth happily at the idea of a 'car ride' with his owners.

"Natasha will be thrilled." Steve sneered, patting the dog on the head. "Let's get moving. It's getting late. We'll leave first thing tomorrow."

* * *

"You're leaving?" Bucky asked as Steve approached him. Bucky sat on Shuri's table as the girl typed feverishly at one of her computers, doing more brain scans of the soldier.

Steve nodded simply, weariness in his eyes, "Yeah. There are reports of advanced technology being used by petty thieves in Queens. But it looks a hell of a lot like the Tesseract. Could be fallout from The Battle of New York."

"Queens. It's practically Brooklyn." Bucky scoffed, a feeling of jealousy building up in his chest at the thought of his best friend going home. "You gonna end up staying there forever?"

"I've got a job to do Buck. And as soon as the Princess has your head clear, you are more than welcome to join us." Steve motioned toward Shuri who didn't acknowledge him, more worried about her work than the bromance infesting her lab.

Bucky chuckled, leaning his right arm against the table, "Honestly, I think my days of fighting are over. And yours should be too. You've got a girl now Steve."

"We've talked about this Buck, I've got to finish-"

"I've made a lot of messes too, but you don't see me galavanting around the world cleaning them up. It's not your responsibility, even if you think it is." Bucky argued, his joking demeanor wavering before returning, "Isn't being married more fun?"

"The Spiderman kid was at the robbery. The one from Germany. The one with Stark." Steve blurted, avoiding Bucky's question about his sex life.

Bucky nodded, his expression falling, "Where the kid goes, Stark won't be far away. You sure you want to risk him finding you?"

"I didn't tell Kayla about the kid. If I do she won't go. She hates Tony way more than I do." Steve admitted, guilt overtaking him as he cracked his knuckles mindlessly.

Bucky shrugged, hopping down off the table as Shuri motioned him to follow her, "Good luck with that." Bucky gave Steve a one-armed hug, then as he walked away he called over his shoulder, "Write me, Steve."

"I'll miss you too," Steve muttered as he was left alone in the lab.

* * *

Natasha sat on Kayla and Steve's bed as the blonde scurried around the room, cleaning up her scattered clothes. Steve had always been neat and tidy, but she'd been a bad influence on him, and he'd begun discarding his clothes quickly onto their floor as well before they could begin their activities. Nat's brown boots hung off the side of the bed, she wore a dark green jacket over a black t-shirt with black leggings. Her long auburn hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, causing it to cascade over her shoulder as she sat quietly.

"What did Steve tell you about the mission?" She finally asked, finding her fingernails no longer interesting to pick at.

"Said there was alien tech used in a robbery in Queens." Kayla dumped a pile of clothes onto the bed beside Natasha, huffing as she did. "Nothing more." Natasha nodded slowly, considering her role in the story, but before she could either spill the beans or protect Steve, Kayla added, "He didn't mention Spiderman. I figure he doesn't want me knowing, because Tony knows him. Steve's a terrible liar."

"You mad he didn't tell you?" Natasha questioned, impressed that Kayla had figured out the truth. She shouldn't have been though, Kayla had become very good at deciphering when Steve was withholding information.

"No. Steve thinks like a Captain. He knows when to disclose information and when to keep it. He hasn't figured out yet that he can't be a Captain to his wife." Kay smirked, wiping her brow.

"There's a good chance Stark will be there. I know he was rather fond of the kid. Gave him his suit." Natasha informed Kayla, who zipped up their suitcase with all the dirty clothes in it. "You're just shoving the dirty clothes in with the clean clothes?"

"I'm not worried about Tony. He's unimportant. Insignificant. Small." Kayla sneered and Natasha held back a snort. "Just because Spiderman will be around doesn't mean Tony will. Tony isn't fighting anymore remember. He's a, what's the word? Consultant?" Kayla put air quotes around the word. Despite her best efforts, Natasha could see the woman still hadn't forgiven Tony Stark for lying for her and tricking her into thinking Steve was dead. "And yes, I'll do laundry when we get to New York."

Natasha's face squished in disbelief, her eyebrows scrunched together as she pushed herself off of the plush bed, "I don't know if you'll have time for laundry Kay. We're going for a reason. We have a job to do."

"_You all_ have a job to do. I'm just moral support." Kayla repeated to Nat the same thing she'd told Steve. "Plus, I have to watch Zawadi." Kayla pointed at the large dog snoozing at the edge of the bed. Natasha groaned. She had a feeling her friend would be bringing the monster on their trip.

"You could be really useful Kayla, I wouldn't relegate yourself to moral support just yet," Natasha warned, knowing that Kayla's inexperience was outweighed by her super strength, and the four would need every advantage they could get. They were outside the law and undercover. Kayla was better at being inconspicuous than even Steve was.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I'm planning on doing laundry when we get there."

* * *

As the sun rose over Wakanda, the four former Avengers made their way toward the packed quinjet. Despite the early hour, King T'Challa and Shuri had come to bid their guests farewell. Sam waved briskly as the King before taking his place in the pilot's seat, preparing the jet for takeoff. Natasha thanked them for their help, and for healing her from her gunshot wound, causing Shuri to scoff and explain that it was child's play.

Steve shook T'Challa's hand firmly, thanking the man for everything he had done, "I can't thank you enough, Your Highness. You've shown us more kindness than we can ever repay. If you ever need anything, we'll be here."

T'Challa simpled bent his head down in a nod, "You are always welcome in Wakanda Captain. Do not stay away too long." He turned to Steve's wife, "Kayla-"

She hugged the King, earning a wide-eyed glare from Okoye nearby. "Thank you T'Challa. For everything." She then turned to Shuri and hugged her young friend, "You are brilliant, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next. I'll see you both as soon as I can." Steve took Kayla by the hand and led her toward the quinjet, Sam closing the back door behind them.

"Where to Cap?" Sam asked, beginning to pull up the coordinates on the jet's GPS.

"Queens New York, but go ahead and put her down in Brooklyn."


	4. Week 5

Kayla groaned as she watched the news, "Babe, do we need to go to D.C.? Stark's ward is scaling the Washington Monument." She called into the other room of their hotel suite. She sat on the maroon pull out couch with her feet up on the living room table, munching away on M&Ms that Sam had gotten her from the vending machine the night before. She passed the pouch to the pilot who happily shared with her. Zawadi sat across her lap, his head resting on Sam's leg.

"What? Why? Why's he in D.C.?" Steve yelped as he skid across the linoleum floor from the bedroom to see the television. Half his face was covered in shaving cream and he wore a towel around his waist.

Kayla shrugged, stuffing her mouth with more candy before Sam replied, "I don't know. He's a person. He can go places."

"Neither of you are helpful." Steve pointed at the pair, who watched the television with laser focus. Steve went back into the bathroom to finish shaving, passing Natasha as she moved into the living area, towel drying her hair. She was already wearing her outfit for the day, dark jeans and black boots, a blue top and caramel colored jacket. She moved to sit on the arm of the couch near Sam, watching the news along with her friends.

"They are shooting at him..." Kayla murmured, pressing her fist against her mouth thoughtfully, worry crushing her, "He's just a kid."

"Little asshole is what he is-"

"Sam!" Kayla chastised, whacking the Falcon harder than she meant to. "He's in over his head... we have to do something, he's going to keep _doing _this."

"Are you surprised?" Steve complained from the bathroom, "He looks up to Tony. He's picking up Stark's bad habits."

Natasha rolled her eyes, standing from her spot on the edge of the couch. "We've done enough recon the past week and a half, and we've come up with nothing. The kids the key. He's on the trail of whoever has these weapons. The best way to find them is to follow him."

At her words, Steve came around the corner, wiping his clean-shaven face with a towel. His eyes met Kayla's and he watched her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. She looked back to the television, worry etched across her face. She was worried about the kid. But they weren't here to babysit. It was dangerous enough being in New York, somewhere that each of them could easily be recognized. They were hiding in plain sight, but they couldn't risk letting their guard down. Even to protect the Spiderman.

"He... saved them..." Kayla uttered into her fist, eyes trained on the news report. "Perhaps he knew them. That could be why he's there."

"What did you just say?" Natasha asked, seeing Kayla's train of thought. If they knew who Spiderman was, they were far more likely to be able to find him.

"It was an Academic Decathlon team. From Queens." Kayla relayed, repeating the information she'd gotten from the newscast. "Spiderman is from Queens. That's the only other place we've seen videos of him on YouTube. That and Germany. He doesn't travel. If he's in D.C., he's there for a reason. Most likely with the Decathlon Team." She looked up at Steve, an unsure look on her face. "I can figure out who he is, but I don't know if that will help us any."

"More information is always better than less. He was at the robbery. And now something has blown up the Washington Monument and he's there again. Clearly, this kid knows something we don't. Find him." Natasha ordered, and Kayla looked to Steve for orders. He responded with a slow nod, knowing his wife didn't like seeking out the boy, but perhaps the safest place for him was with them. After all, Tony clearly wasn't taking care of him.

* * *

Natasha had an earbud wedged in her left ear, listening to a police scanner she obtained and downloaded onto her burner phone. She sat in a booth at a Starbucks in Brooklyn, drinking a latte while her comrade across from her read a paper spread across the table. The green-eyed eyed brunette scanned the restaurant as she sipped on her iced coffee, occasionally circling something in the paper before looking up again. Natasha eyed the red pen marks on the classifieds, not inquiring into why Mrs. Rogers was picking out apartments in Brooklyn. Nat didn't want to encourage her friend to have such wishful thinking.

"The NYPD is requesting extra officers at the St. George and Whitehall ferry terminals., Natasha muttered, looking up to meet Kayla's glance. Kayla scratched her head, subtly adjusting her wig to prepare for movement. They had a hit.

"I guess we're going for a boat ride." Kayla responded, stretching her arms into the air. It was a hot September day, but she wore a long sleeved jogging shirt and black sweatpants with tennis shoes so she could run if need be. Natasha moved out of the booth first, keeping the earbud in her ear as she waited for Kayla to slide out, taking her time in collecting her papers.

"I'll take Whitehall. Sam will take St. George. You and Steve ride the ferry. And leave those behind. You know you won't be needing them anytime soon." Natasha pointed at the stack of papers, causing Kayla's determined look to wilt, sadness and embarrassment taking over her features.

Outside, Sam and Steve were leaning against a railing, wearing sunglasses and baseball caps. They were chatting easily, not as focused on their craft as Natasha had been. When they saw Natasha and Kayla emerge from the coffee shop, they looked to them expectantly. Sam removed his glasses, his expression hard as he waited for their next move. Natasha nodded toward the road the boys followed her, keeping pace with the spy. "The NYPD is dispatching officers onto the Staten Island Ferry We'll divide and conquer, see what's happening. Sam will take one station, I'll take the other. You two ride the ferry, try to figure out what's going down."

"Sounds like a plan. Keep communication, we'll meet back here at nineteen hundred hours. Take photos if you can. Hopefully, this will lead us to our weapons dealers. We need to snuff this out quick, and get out of here." Steve ordered, earning a surprised look from Kayla. She thought he'd be happier to be home. He'd always talked about settling down in Brooklyn. But Kayla was forgetting what her husband did for a living.

* * *

Steve wrapped his right arm around Kayla, rubbing her forearm lovingly with his thumb as the pair laughed and walked onto the Staten Island Ferry. Between his black baseball cap and glasses and her brown hair, nobody would ever expect the former Captain America and wife to be behind the giddy facade. She looked to be heading out for a run while he looked a bit like a tourist, but they meshed together like puzzle pieces, and their easy public displays of affection turned away anyone who would be a curious onlooker. Kayla looked up at her husband lovingly, easily able to blur the line between acting and truth. She truly smiled, taking in Steve, adoring him with every fiber of her being. She would have loved to go sightseeing in New York with him, but they were just working. It wasn't real.

Kayla led them to the middle floor of the ferry, finding a bench in the middle, where they could easily survey everything around them. Kayla snuggled into Steve as he held her tight, resting his chin on her head dotingly. From this position, he gazed over her, eyes scanning the ferry for anyone suspicious. From her spot nestled against Steve, Kayla could see the opposite side of the ferry, and her eyes stared straight ahead, a grim smile on her face.

Steve noticed two men talking quietly while facing away from each other, something he knew spies to do to pretend they didn't know each other. It was subtle, but Steve knew it was fishy. "I think I've got a lead." He whispered, barely audible, but Kayla nodded against him, eyes narrowing in on the window.

"We've got company. The kids here." She replied, her body tensing at the brief sight of the red-clad hero outside of the ferry window.

"Did he spot you?" Steve pressed, knowing Spiderman would complicate their investigation.

Kayla shook her head, barely moving but it was enough for Steve to feel against his chest, "No. He seemed to look past us."

"Probably to the men who I saw. One of them already got up and walked off."

"We're on the same side then." Kayla decided, lifting her head to look at Steve, giving him a sweet kiss. "Shall we go?"

Steve stood and held down his hand to the girl, and she giggled and took it, pulling his hat down playfully, but it worked to disguise his face even better. She led him toward a staircase and they trotted down the stairs, him shushing her every once in a while as she pretended to laugh. Once downstairs where the cars were parked, Kayla led Steve behind a large black SUV and they knelt down. Once out of sight, their giddy charade ended and they focused on moving toward the bow of the boat where talking could be heard. Both Steve and Kayla were thankful for their heightened hearing because they didn't need to get close to hear what the men were talking about.

"White pickup," Steve repeated and Kayla didn't answer, but began to slink away to look through the cars for the weapons. Steve stayed behind to watch the thugs, knowing he'd be better matched for a fistfight than Kayla. As Kayla moved through the cars, she finally spotted an old white pickup near the very back of the ferry with a man still sitting in the cab. She crouched down, moving slowly along the ground to not be seen, but the man was staring ahead at the deal before him. Kayla slowly rose to peak under the tarp in the pickup's box, but a second man approached and the driver got out, causing her to hit the ground so she wasn't seen. Without a word, the driver pulled back the tarp and allowed the first man a glimpse under the tarp, but Kayla silently cursed herself for losing her chance to see. It could be the tech they were looking for. She was merely a foot from the driver, and she held her breath, not daring to move with him at the back of the box. She looked toward Steve who was staring at her, panic written on his face. Kayla shook her head quickly but slightly, just enough movement for Steve to see she wanted him to stay back. She could handle this better without him springing into action.

Steve and Kayla's attention was quickly drawn to a new player at the front of the boat as Spiderman leaped from the top floor, effectively allowing Kayla to roll under the pickup without being seen. The teenager made quite a ruckus and the driver pushed his way to the front to help his coworkers. Steve quickly moved away from the fight to join Kayla, seeing as she had found what they were looking for.

While Spiderman kept the thugs occupied at the bow, Kayla slowly attempted to lift up the tarp while the one remaining man was distracted. As she slowly looked under the tarp, Steve saw a new threat and grabbed Kayla by the calf, pulling her to the ground away from the pickup. She was about to swear at her husband but he quickly covered her mouth harshly, and the man from upstairs bashed the other guy's head into the side of the van next to the pickup. Kayla's eyes widened, seeing Steve had saved her life, and their investigation.

As the unconscious man fell to the ground, Kayla and Steve heard calls of the FBI coming from the front of the front of the boat, guns pointed at Spiderman. Kayla and Steve shared a confused glance, "We've been struggling to get even a small lead for almost two weeks, how did the FBI know to be here? They must have called for the police backup." Kayla hissed, seeing their chance to investigate reappear with the absence of the man from upstairs. She launched herself to her feet and quickly pulled the tarp away, revealing several weapons far too advanced to have been made on Earth alone. "Steve..."

But before they could decide what to do next, a mechanical whirring came from the van behind the pickup, and both Steve and Kayla hit the ground once more, rolling together under the pickup to stay hidden. They watched in disbelief as a creature emerged from the van, tearing it apart with its wings before flying forward with a weapon in hand.

Steve looked toward the back of the ferry to see the Vulture throw a car and knock somebody into the water. "I'm going after him."

"What?!" Kayla yelped, turning to see Steve running toward the stern of the boat. "Going after who?"

"Whoever it was, they were here. They are either working with that monster or they are the buyer. Either way, I'm going after them, they are the best lead we've got. Stay here and guard those, don't let anybody leave with them. I'll come back for you." Steve dove off the back of the ferry into the water, leaving Kayla to gape at him in disbelief.

"Damn it!" She yelled, then looked over her shoulder, seeing Spiderman flying through the air, suspended from the Vulture. "_Come on_, kid. You just don't know when to give up." Kayla started to move forward toward the fight, but a laser shot through the boat, cracking it in half. Kayla stumbled a little as the boat churned. "Damn it, Steve!" She called loudly, no longer afraid of being seen. She was frustrated and alone. The ferry was falling apart, and there were hundreds of people on board, about to get dumped into the bay. Kayla wandered into the middle of the cars, looking to see if Spiderman was okay now that the Vulture was gone. As she looked around, a burst of water came up from the floor and slammed her harshly into the ceiling. She felt her back crack as she hit the concrete, then fell back to the ground with a thud. She rolled over, allowing the water to soak her clothes as she groaned in pain. Her wig was blown off from the water, but Kayla didn't care. Her back _hurt._

Suddenly gravity was working against her, and she felt the ferry leaning toward the side as sputtering words came from her waterlogged comm. "Kayla? Kayla, do you hear me? Steve? Anybody? Are you two still on the boat?" Natasha shrieked, and Kayla pressed her comm gently, moaning in response.

"Steve dove in to get a suspect. I'm still on the boat."

"Well, you better get off the boat because the two halves are falling apart!" Sam yelped, but Kayla shook her head, rolling herself over to crawl onto her knees. If the boat collapsed, the people would die, and if the people died, Steve would have _more _mess to clean up and it would take longer to finish the job. No, she had to stay and help save the people. Kayla looked up to see Spiderman swinging wildly, connecting all the beams of the boat with his webs. She pushed herself to her feet, and despite the pain, she started wandering toward the stairs before remembering what Steve had asked of her. She had to stay and protect the weapons. She moved back toward the pickup, flinging the tarp open to reveal several different guns on the inside. She jumped up into the box and crouched down until she heard a loud snap.

"Aww fuck," Kayla swore as the boat began to fall apart again, and water flooded the bottom floor, taking all the cars with it. The pickup began sliding across the floor toward the front of the ferry with Kayla in it. She launched herself off of the pickup and grabbed a pole with another woman just before the truck went over the rail, plummeting into the water below and taking its weapons with it. She grabbed the woman and chucked her away from the chasm, and the lady returned the favor by offering Kayla a hand once she was away from the rushing water. "We've got to get upstairs!" Kayla yelled, pulling the blonde woman with her. She made it up the stairs to the second floor, seeing the electrical wires of the ferry sparking as it continued to lean sideways, Spiderman holding it together by two webs. Kayla looked up at him in horror, he couldn't fix this he was _just one boy._

All of a sudden, the boy started feeling slack, and he was seemingly lowered toward the second floor as the boat came back together. Kayla looked around, unsure of what was happening, but thankful it was. She found herself feet from Spiderman, but he was just as amazed as she was. Suddenly, a familiar red helmet appeared outside the window, seemingly staring at Spiderman as he pushed the boat upright.

"_Shiit!"_ Kayla screeched through clenched teeth as she dove to the side, out of Tony's view. She was suddenly presented with an unusual conundrum: she'd tried so hard to not get washed off the boat and now she needed to figure out how to get off the damn boat.

"Kayla get out of there NOW." Natasha yelled as she saw Iron Man pushing the boat back together. It wasn't that Tony would hurt Kayla, it's just they'd get nothing done if they had to stop and hash out their Civil War.

"Damn it." She whimpered, seeing Stark's drones attach themselves to the side of the ferry. Whatever she was going to do, she had to do it now. She looked to Spiderman, then took off running, not realizing she'd caught his attention. As the Stark drones began pushing the boat back together, she dove off the second floor into the water at the bow. By some stroke of luck, she managed to miss the cars that were beginning to sink, but the impact from her high jump knocked her out as she hit the water.


	5. Week 6

Kayla typed feverishly against the keys of her laptop, tucked in snugly in the covers of her hotel bed. Four days had passed since the incident on the Staten Island Ferry, and the group was making headway on the weapons front. After Steve found Kayla in the water, he went back down and found the weapons in the sunken pickup truck. Waterlogged, but still able to be studied. Kayla was pretty sure she'd fractured her spine, but she wasn't able to go to the doctor, so she worked hard studying the weapons and passing along the information to Steve and the team.

"This right here," She pointed to a shiny piece of metal, "This is vibranium. I can tell by its density. It's from an Ultron. The vibranium houses technology I've never seen before. Perhaps from the Chitauri invasion in New York?" Kayla pressed her right fingers against her temple, rubbing it, "Where the hell are they getting this stuff? Doesn't the government have it under lock and key?"

"That's what we need to find out. Perhaps their secure facility isn't as secure as they think it is." Sam prodded, looking to the Captain. "But we don't know who the Vulture guy is. He took off from the boat without a trace, carrying the other guy with him. The man Cap brought up was a buyer, but he was already in custody by the time Steve got back from dragging you out of the water."

"There's nothing I can provide from this technology. Only that its made from substances that these petty thieves shouldn't have. We need more of a lead than this." Kayla mumbled.

"What about our spider friend? Any headway on him?" Natasha pressed, knowing Kayla had been looking into the boy when she thought the others weren't paying attention.

"It has to be one of the kids from the Decathlon. Just like I said last week. We can rule out a couple of them based on height and body type, but honestly, are we even sure that Spiderman isn't a girl?" Kayla questioned, earning a disappointed glare from Natasha.

Nat shifted from foot to foot, before turning to Steve, "She's rested long enough, Rogers. Let her look for the boy. Maybe he can help us. The sooner we figure out who the seller is, the sooner we can shut this down and get out of here. We shouldn't be in one place this long."

Steve had been silent, thinking about what to do. They'd come all this way and achieved nothing. He was trying to clean up the Avengers' mess, not make a bigger one. But he was learning that the Avengers had welcomed a higher caliber of threats to the world, and it wasn't going to get any less crazy. Steve looked to his wife, full Captain America mode, "Go find him. Get him to talk. By any means necessary."

"How old do we think this kid is again?" Kayla muttered as she pulled up the school's website again, staring at the profiles of each member of the Academic Decathlon team. She wouldn't admit it, but she'd pinpointed the kid last week, even before the ferry incident. She was all but certain she knew who Spiderman was.

It was only a matter of getting Peter Parker to admit it.

* * *

The pitter patter of stilettos was an unfamiliar sound at Peter Parker's high school. After getting directions as to where to find the boy and his friend, Kayla moved swiftly through the school, trying to avoid the gaze of any adults who may question her presence. The high school boys certainly weren't complaining about it. Kayla's jeans were tight and her red blouse was low cut, giving quite a show as she trotted toward the band room.

Once she saw the sign, she moved through the large doors, seeing all the instruments stored along the walls. She quietly locked the door, keeping the boys from escaping before she could approach them.

Sitting on the first step near the band chairs was a large boy who's name was Ned according to the Decathlon's roster photo online. He was focused on building a Leggo Deathstare, preparing to place the final piece on top. Next to him on the floor was a scrawny brunette kid with swooshy hair and a blue sweatshirt. He looked... pensive. Sad almost. And Kayla couldn't imagine it was because of the Death Star's completion. Kayla watched the boys do a secret handshake, smiling at their friendship.

And then Kayla ruined their moment.

"Hey boys." She said subtly, not a hint of flirtation in her voice, but no venom either. It was a simple greeting as she emerged into the middle of the room, catching Ned and Peter's attention. Ned gasped and gawked at the woman for a moment, but Peter was quicker with his thoughts.

"You're the woman who dove off the ferry!" He yelped, jumping to his feet and pointing at the woman as she approached.

She crossed her arms in disbelief, inadvertently creating more cleavage. "Well, that was easy."

"What was easy?" Peter asked, taking a step closer to the woman who he found more intriguing than dangerous.

Kayla laughed, taking a deep breath and shaking her head, finding the boy's naivety humorous, "Getting you to admit you are Spiderman."

Peter Parker paled at her words, backtracking quickly as he put his hands up defensively, "What? Me? No! I was just _on _the ferry, I'm not Spiderman."

"Yes, you are. You were in D.C. with your Decathalon team... that's how we narrowed it down. You are the correct height and weight of the boy on Youtube. And I recognize your voice. We've met before. I'm surprised you don't remember me." Kayla droned dramatically, then turned to Ned, "Listen, I know your friend's secret identity. This can be easy or hard. Leave now and say nothing to anyone so I can talk to Peter alone, and nothing bad happens to either of you. I give you my word. If you alert anyone that I'm here, then I'll spread his identity all over the world."

Ned looked to Peter, mouth hanging open nervously, but Parker just put up his hand to steady his friend, nodding encouragingly. Ned looked from Peter to Kayla, then nodded and left the room, Kayla following to relock the door behind him. Once Ned was gone, she turned back to Peter, "Now, where were we?"

Before her eyes could land on him, he was gone, but Kayla's first reaction was to look up, finding him easily. She called up to the boy, "I know who you are Peter. I just want to talk."

"You're with Captain America. You're a fugitive." He responded, lowering himself from the ceiling to watch her upside down.

Kayla jumped back toward the door, pulling down the window covers so they couldn't be seen. "Damn it, kid, I thought you wanted to remain anonymous?"

"Why are you here? Who are you? Why are you blackmailing me?" Peter questioned, and it softened Kayla a bit. She didn't want him to be _afraid _of her. She wanted him to trust her.

"My name is Kayla. You recognized me in Germany because I'm the daughter of President Mathew Ellis. I was presumed dead but was given a version of the super soldier serum that created Captain America. One that I created, because I'm a scientist. Or at least, I used to be. I'm Captain America's wife." Kayla explained gently, hands out in a calming motion. "I don't want to hurt you, I want to help you. We were there on the ferry, we saw the weapons. We need to stop this. I came to see if you'd help us."

"Mr. Stark says-"

"Mr. Stark says a lot of things, Peter. He told me Steve was dead because he was angry. You can't always listen to Stark." Kayla warned, taking a step closer to the boy hanging from the ceiling. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," Peter replied, letting himself drop to his feet. "I'm a sophomore."

"Uhhh, good gosh, I tried to seduce a child." Kayla yanked up her blouse so less of her boobs were showing, then she flipped her hair to the side to see Peter better. "You have a lot of heart kid. Natasha says Tony really cares about you."

"He took my suit," Peter mumbled, and Kayla leaned in to hear him better, then nodded thoughtfully at his words.

"He does care about you." She remarked, earning a curious look from Peter, "If he didn't care about you, he'd let you keep doing stupid shit like you pulled the other day."

Peter scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets, "He has a weird way of showing he cares."

"Tell me about it. But that's not why I'm here. What do you know about the Vulture?" Kayla prodded, getting the conversation back on track.

"He's stealing stuff from the Department of Damage Control. I don't know who he is, but I know Mr. Stark isn't taking it seriously." Peter admitted, yanking his web from the ceiling.

"What else is new." Kayla hummed quietly, but Peter heard her, "Thank you, for your information. I'm sorry we fought you in Germany. Tony was doing what he thought was right... but he wasn't. He's a good man though. Please make sure he's okay." Kayla began to back away from the Peter, preparing to leave the school quietly, "I'd appreciate if you don't tell him you've seen me. If you keep my secret, I'll keep yours. I promise."

"Deal." Peter nodded, a beaming smile crossing his face. Kayla smiled to herself as she ducked her head behind her hair and left the room, the door swinging open behind her.

* * *

"Did you find the kid?" Sam asked quickly as Kayla entered the hotel, quickly stripping out of her low cut top to wear something more comfortable. Sam had quickly realized that Kayla didn't really have boundaries on missions and that he'd better keep his eyes to himself, even if she was offering a show.

The blonde reemerged from the bedroom wearing a sweatshirt and leggings, her hair pulled up into a bun, "Nope. It was a dead end. I was _sure _Spiderman was one of the Decathlon kids, but I met with at least three of them. They all have an alibi, and none of them have the strength Spiderman does. I'm sorry." Kayla bit the side of her lip, showing her disappointment in her own failure. Sam frowned, wanting to get payback on the kid who kicked his ass in Germany.

"Then I guess we're back to square one." Natasha moaned, leaning back against the couch as Kayla took her usual spot at the hotel's in-room desk.

She kept her eyes hidden from her friends, speaking quietly, "I guess we are."

Steve watched his wife carefully, tilting his head to the side with a smile. She found him. And she was protecting him. And he couldn't be mad at Kayla for that.

* * *

"We've made no progress since the ferry incident last week. Let's go do something fun! Let's go into the city! Please, Steve, please!" Kayla pleaded on Friday night, hanging on the soldier as he stared out the window at his home. They'd been in the Brooklyn hotel for almost three weeks, and they were no closer to figuring out who had the government tech than they were when they landed. An anonymous tip came in the form of a handwritten note pushed under the door, telling them that the technology was coming from the Department of Damage Control. Steve didn't mention that it was Kayla's handwriting, the scrawling cursive she didn't use very often except to write him love letters.

"We aren't on a vacation Kay..." Natasha trailed, but she couldn't deny that they seemed to be wasting their time.

Steve looked down and smiled as his wife who was squeezing him tightly, trying to get him to acquiesce to her request. "Alright, we can go into the city. What do you want to do?"

"Yay!" Kayla squealed, earning a smirk from Sam Wilson nearby, "Oh, we could do anything! We could see a show, go to dinner, walk through Central Park! We could go to Coney Island! Do you remember Steve?"

"I do remember, you told me we could ride the Cyclone and see if I threw up." Steve chuckled, his perfect smile lighting up the room.

Natasha sighed, shaking her head, "Alright, I'm in. We could use a night off."

Kayla changed into a black tank top with a jean jacket, pulling on her black boots as she rushed to get ready for the evening out. She leaned forward then fluffed out her long hair before flipping it back, looking to Steve with a beaming smile. "I love you Kay." Steve murmured, taking her hand in his. "Let's go." Kayla quickly clipped Zawadi's leash onto his harness, causing the dog to bark happily, ready to leave the hotel.

Steve held Zawadi's leash as he led them out of the hotel and toward Coney Island beach. He walked slowly, something Steve didn't normally do, but Kayla could tell he was taking in his surroundings. "See anything familiar?"

"I got beat up in that alley." He pointed, and Kayla nodded thoughtfully, trying to hide her bittersweet smile. "That used to be a movie theater there. I got beat up behind it."

"Do you have any good memories in Brooklyn, man?" Sam asked, not realizing Steve hadn't spent much time in his home since becoming Captain America.

Steve squinted, looking around, then pointed North, "I used to live that way. With my mom before she died."

"Still not a good memory," Sam informed him quietly, earning a smack on the shoulder from Natasha, who had been mostly quiet for the trek.

Steve shrugged, letting Zawadi's leash slide up his wrist so he could shove his hands in his khaki pockets, "I guess its just the idea of home. I always thought I'd come back here and finish out my life the way it started. But better."

"Maybe you will." Kayla offered, thinking back to the newspapers Natasha had made her leave behind.

Steve's mouth twisted into a smile, entertaining the idea of moving back to Brooklyn. "Up ahead is the beach. We can go to the amusement park before it closes? I want to try my luck on the Cyclone."

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I'll stay behind with the dog. You three ride." Natasha groaned as she looked up at the roller coaster. Steve handed Zawadi's leash to Natasha, who glared back at the panting dog as Kayla took off running toward the line. Steve chased after her with Sam right behind them, laughing at his friends' happiness. He of all people knew how important it was to have fun. To live after surviving war. It was nice to finally see Steve enjoy himself instead of worrying.

After riding the Cyclone seven times, Sam called it quits. Eight more times and Steve threw up again, Kayla laughing hysterically as she rubbed his back. Natasha kept her distance, enlisting Sam to help her hold back the large dog who wanted to investigate his sick master.

"Are you okay honey? I didn't think you'd actually get sick!" Kayla laughed as Steve wiped his mouth, more disgusted with the sensation of being sick than actually riding the roller coaster fifteen times. "It may have been the corndogs. You ate four of them."

"I was hungry... at the time..." Steve leaned over again and Kayla caught him, afraid he'd begin his barfing again. "This is embarrassing."

"No, it's fun Steve. It's something you often forget is important. And it's something we are going to work on over the next few years, okay?" Kayla pushed, deciding that they wouldn't be all work and no play.

"No more roller coasters. Please." Steve pleaded as Kayla handed him a bottle of water.

"No more riding roller coasters fifteen times." Kayla corrected and helped Steve to his feet to start moving out. "The park is closing soon. We should go."

Steve nodded weakly, his stomach trying desperately to feel better. Kayla leaned into him as he walked, taking Zawadi's leash from Natasha to hold onto her dog. Natasha pulled Sam back a bit, allowing the family a moment alone. Knowing they wouldn't notice, she pulled out her phone and took a photo of the three walking away, Kayla leaning on his shoulder as their dog looked up at them lovingly. She showed her work to Sam who nodded appreciatively at her photo. She shoved the phone back in her pocket and picked up the pace to catch up with the super soldiers.

As they were walking away, they heard a plane overhead but didn't see anything until an explosion erupted behind them, the plane having taken out the parachute jump ride on it's way down. Steve, Kayla, Nat, and Sam turned to face the explosion, then stood in shock, staring toward the carnage before them as flames took over the beach. Kayla's mouth hung open as her dog whimpered and hid behind her legs, not liking the noise and fire.

"We should do something right?" Sam asked, but the plane was hundreds of yards away.

"Yes, we should," Steve yelled as he took off running, Kayla on his tail as she shoved Zawadi's leash at Sam, the pilot being nominated to stay behind and protect the dog.

As the super soldiers got closer to the plane, the Vulture flew up from the flames and attacked Spiderman, who was wearing nothing but a red hoodie and no mask. "Peter!" Kayla shrieked, but Steve grabbed onto her, seeing the two of them couldn't fight against the winged madman. "He's just a kid, we have to do something!"

Steve stared up at the flying man, his mouth open in thought, "I... I don't know what we can do." Steve looked to the nearest box, ripping it open to find his Captain America uniform that Coulson designed for him. "This is Avengers stuff." He looked up to see the Vulture trying to fly away, holding onto a box. They could hear the cries of Spiderman, trying to bring the man back to the ground. Suddenly the Vulture wings exploded and the man crashed into the sand and Kayla could almost see Spiderman go in after him. Steve grabbed Kayla, anticipating her to chase the boy correctly, holding her back as he tried to formulate some sort of action.

When Peter emerged from the flames, dropping the Vulture onto the ground, Kayla wiggled away from her husband and darted toward the teenager. By the time she reached them, Peter was standing over the older man, and they held each other's gaze until Kayla knocked into the boy, grabbing onto him as she slid through the sand. "Peter! Are you okay? What happened?" Kayla hissed as she pushed him away from the man who tried to kill him.

"Stark's plane... it's all stuff from Avengers Tower..." Peter wheezed out as he looked over her shoulder. "What are we gonna do?"

"Get you out of here, for starters." Kayla pulled against Peter, but he balked, far stronger than she was. "You are _so strong. _It's incredible."

Peter pulled the man toward a large box and webbed him up, ensuring his capture. He breathed heavily as she stumbled backward, taking in the sight. "Do you have a pen?" Kayla laughed and pulled a pen out of her cross-body and handed it to Spiderman.

The loud thump of boxes being stacked caught Kayla and Peter's attention, and the boy backed up a little at the sight of Steve. "You're- You're Captain America!"

"Peter, this is my husband, Steve." Kayla introduced and Steve smiled at the kid, putting a face to the voice as he moved around the boxes to shake Peter's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Parker," Steve stated a coy smile across his face as Kayla leaned back, turning to Peter.

"I-I didn't tell him who you were..."

"You didn't need to. I figured it out on my own. But your secret's safe with me. As long as you return the favor." Steve winked at Spiderman as he piled another box behind the Vulture, then began to walk away as sirens approached.

"Good luck Spiderman," Kayla said as she squeezed Peter's hand and took off running toward her husband, leaving Peter to clean up the mess of debris before the authorities arrived.

"The kid okay?" Natasha asked when Kayla and Steve trotted back to them, ignoring the stares of the bystanders as they arrived from the flaming beach. Sam handed Kayla the leash and they turned quickly, removing themselves from the situation as the cops arrived.

"Yeah. He's okay. And everything's going to be okay now. Spiderman caught the Vulture." Kayla responded, kicking a rock as they wandered down the path toward their hotel.

Sam put an arm around Kayla's shoulders and walked with her, "Did you figure out who the punk was?"

Kayla looked at Steve and the soldier smiled, "Nope. Still have no idea."


	6. Week 10

Kayla pushed the quinjet to its limits, flying faster and faster as the fighter jets followed her. Zawadi panted patiently next to her as she pushed the control wheel as far as it would go without cracking. Steve sat behind her on the floor as Natasha held a cloth against his thigh, trying to stop the blood from escaping his gunshot wound. Sam stood beside Kayla, holding onto her seat as he gave her directions to avoid the enemy planes.

"I know there are guns on this thing, HOW DO THEY WORK?" Kayla yelped as she sent the quinjet into a nosedive, Sam hanging on for dear life as Natasha and Steve fell against the back of Kayla's chair.

"Ow, honey, Sam- take the- wheel." Steve stammered as his injured leg knocked against the side of the quinjet. Before Kayla could respond, the sound of bullets on the side of the jet caused Natasha to jump, eyes daggers as she stared out the front of the cockpit. Suddenly Steve and Natasha were sliding back toward the end of the plane, Kayla sending it straight up into the air at a ninety-degree angle as she held onto Zawadi's harness with her free hand. Steve grabbed onto a rail on the ceiling and caught Natasha by the forearm. "SAM. PILOT. NOW." Steve yelled at his friend as the jet leveled out.

Sam literally slid into the seat with Kayla, knocking her onto the floor. Kayla crawled her way next to Steve, taking over for Natasha in holding the cloth to Steve's leg. "Are you okay honey?"

"You slid me into a wall... it hurts worse now." Bullets ricocheted off the quinjet as Sam took the jet down.

"We aren't going to outrun them. We need to take it down and work on fixing the stealth mode or else we'll get shot out of the sky." Sam yelled over the sound of the planes surrounding them. "I'll put it down in the trees over there. Hang on!"

Natasha hit a series of buttons on the control panel, and the stealth mode came back on, disguising the plane moments before Sam took it down hard. She reached over his shoulder and calmly pulled the wheel back, taking the jet back into the sky as the fighter jets landed to look for them on the ground. Sam turned around, staring at Natasha, "Did you know how to do that the whole time?"

"I just reset the quinjet's settings back to manual, then flipped it back into automatic." Natasha ran her fingers through her hair, pointing ahead of them at a field. "Let's put it down there. Stay in stealth mode. Stay in the jet. We need to get Rogers healed up before we head back out to meet our contact."

"Where are we now?" Steve asked, sucking in a deep breath as Kayla wound the cloth tightly around his leg.

Sam looked at the GPS as he gently landed the quinjet, "Australia."

"Australia? We were heading toward Singapore, how did we end up in Australia?" Natasha asked, holding back a laugh.

Kayla opened her mouth to defend herself, but she couldn't come up with a valid excuse, "I, uh, got distracted. By all the jets. And the shooting. And I wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Sam jested as he stood from the pilot's chair. "So, we are spending the night in here? That'll be... comfortable."

"We can't risk leaving right now. We have to lay low. We've already got Hydra agents on our tail. Apparently, the US government wasn't the only place they infiltrated." Steve hissed, swallowing hard. "It's been a while since I got shot. The uniform's getting a little worn. Doesn't hold up as well as it used to."

"Little bit." Kayla pulled part of the star off of Steve's old Captain America uniform. It was dirty and falling apart, lacking the color that made it an emblem in days gone by. Soon it would only be blue, any semblance of the American flag gone in favor of a real stealth suit.

Natasha opened a drawer in the side of the jet and pulled out several flat pillows, discarding them on the floor before opening another drawer to gather blankets. She tossed two of each over toward Kayla and Steve. The blonde looked at the pillows curiously but didn't say anything to the assassin as she handed a set to Sam as well. "Let's get comfortable. Get some rest. It may not be a bed, but it's not a roach motel either. It could be worse."

"I'll, uh, make my bed over there." Sam pointed toward the back of the jet, claiming a dark corner for himself. He had slept on the ground before and could sleep anywhere. And he was tired. Zawadi followed him, and Sam welcomed the company, allowing the dog to lay next to him, giving him warmth.

They had gotten word of a Hydra rise up in Singapore and made their way to investigate. While on the ground in New Zealand, they found it was a trap, Hydra already knowing Captain America was looking to exterminate the last of Hydra. And that he had a wife. A roundhouse kick to one of the rebels blocked a bullet meant for Kayla, and Sam drug Cap back to the quinjet before Kayla flew it wildly away, not having experience getting away from enemy planes. And that's how they ended up stranded in the Australian outback, thousands of miles from their contact and meeting place.

Natasha had noticed the Hydra agents were familiar with the couple, but the fight that resulted from that knowledge was distracting enough to buy them some time for an explanation. That time had run out. "So, how do those Hydra rebels know about Mrs. America hmmm?"

Steve blanched at Nat's question, looking to Kayla frantically. Kayla was hard at work unbuckling Steve's boots, and didn't look up to answer Nat, "We were attacked in Argentina. Wandered into a shop and the store owner knew Steve from World War II. She sent us into a death trap at the hands of her grandson, who was Hydra. I shot her."

Steve saw Sam's back stiffen, but he didn't turn from his corner. Natasha watched Kayla, an unreadable expression on her dirty face. "Well, that explains why they know Cap's married. And why they are ready to fight."

"I'd never killed anybody before. But she was going to shoot Steve. We were defenseless." Kayla added, trying to justify her actions, but Natasha didn't need the explanation.

"We all do things we don't want to do sometimes. Especially in this line of work. I remember my first kill. It was a friend. In the Red Room. It was either kill or be killed. The guilt won't go away. It'll haunt you for the rest of your life. But it gets easier in time. The more that gets taken from you, the more justified you feel in your shots." Natasha turned and moved toward another panel in the quinjet. "You gonna clean that wound of his?"

"Yeah, bring me the first aid please." Kayla finally pulled off Steve's second boot, then turned to him with a huff. "You aren't going to like it, but I need you to take your pants off. We have to get you fixed up."

Steve groaned, not liking her demand as she had predicted. "Don't worry Rogers, you've got nothing I haven't seen before." Natasha quipped with a smirk as she handed a box of medical supplies to Kayla, "You know how to remove a bullet?"

"I can figure it out," Kayla answered, opening up the box to take out a bottle of peroxide and tweezers. "Nat, can you prop up his head?"

"I'm not a child." Steve chided as Natasha gently lifted his head to place both of the couple's pillows under him. "I'll heal on my own."

Kayla glared at her husband, her voice laced with annoyance, "Yeah, you'll heal the bullet right into you. Then I'll never be able to take you through airport security."

"Ha ha." Steve winced as Kayla began to slowly pull off the pants of his suit, the heavy fabric sticking to his bloody thigh. "We aren't allowed in any more airports. We'll be flying private forever."

"Never say never," Kayla muttered as she slowly peeled the suit away from Steve's legs. "Nat, can you get me a flashlight, I want to get a closer look at the bullet before I yank it out."

"Nice undies Cap." Sam mocked from his corner. He was now sitting up, leaning against the back of the quinjet watching his team. Steve lifted his middle finger to the pilot, earning a laugh from Sam. So Steve had been picking up some new habits from the 21st Century. "I'm just thankful you don't go commando."

"Like me." Kayla winked at Sam, who just shook his head at the girl, patting her dog as the creature snoozed. Natasha handed Kayla the flashlight and she went to work studying the bullet before extracting it. "This is a nasty wound. The bullet is wedged in there really well. It's gonna hurt baby." Kayla warned, pouring peroxide onto the tweezers Nat had passed her.

Steve grumbled something about just leaving it in there, but he knew his wife wasn't going to let him off so easy. He howled in pain as she dove the metal tips of her tool into his leg, fiercely pulling the bullet out to finish the job quickly. He rested his head back down as he felt her pour the peroxide into the wound, trying to keep it from becoming infected, even though both of them knew it wouldn't. She quickly wrapped his bare leg with gauze, then allowed herself to fall from a squat onto her but, arm resting on her knee as she watched Steve. The soldier just growled, hating the stinging from his leg. "You don't have to take care of me, Kay. You know just as well as I do the serum does that."

Kayla looked taken back by his words, he didn't realize what he was insinuating. She shook her messy hair to the side, using her hand to pull it away from her face. With her eyes downcast she whispered, "It's my job."

"Get some rest, Rogers. You'll be good as new tomorrow." Natasha ordered, throwing one of the blankets over his body as he closed his eyes, pushing aside the pain. Nat then turned her attention to Kayla, who was pouring a bottle of water onto her hands to clean off the blood. Sam watched Kayla as well, the exchange between her and her husband not lost on him. Steve didn't know when he hurt Kayla. It was one of his few flaws. He knew he was tough, but that wouldn't stop Kayla from worrying about him. "You alright Kay?" Nat asked softly, sitting near Steve as he breathing slowed, signifying sleep had taken him.

"I'm fine. You know I am. He's just crabby because he's hurt, that's all." Kayla answered, keeping her face hidden in the shadows so Nat and Sam couldn't see her watering eyes. "I know I'm not really an asset, I'm just... here."

Swiftly moving from his place on the floor, Sam made his way to Kayla and wrapped his arms around her from the side in a supportive hug. His movement startled Zawadi, who looked up, confused as to why his companion decided to leave him. Sam pat Kayla's back as he shushed her, disregarding her claims. "You are important to the team. You aren't just here for Steve, you are important to all of us. Don't let Cap make you feel insignificant because he's too afraid of looking weak in front of you. He doesn't want you to worry about him. He just doesn't know how to show you that."

"Vicious cycle really. No way around it." Natasha added, wrapping her arms around the other side of the blonde.

Without a word, Kayla wrapped each of her arms around her friends, leaning her head against Sam's shoulder to smile at Natasha. "Thanks, guys."

* * *

Steve was the first one to wake up the next morning, having been the first to fall asleep, but also rarely sleeping anyway. As predicted, when he flexed his injured leg he felt no pain, good as new. He prepared to sit up and remove the gauze but was suddenly aware of the weight on both sides of his chest pressing him down. He turned to his left side and saw Kayla, sleeping soundly in the crook of his neck, a sweet smile on her face as she held onto his arm tightly. Beyond Kayla, Sam had his arm swung over the blonde, his chest pressed against her as his hand rested lazily across Steve's stomach, careful even in sleep not to grab onto the Captain's girl. Sam snored quietly, his breath moving Kayla's hair since his face was pressed into the back of her scalp. Steve quickly turned to find the weight on his right side was Natasha, curled up into his much like Kayla was, but her face was pressed down against his bicep as he hand rested against his chest.

Steve was filled with emotions and a bit of claustrophobia from the people pressing into him. Mild panic because Natasha was holding him lovingly while he wasn't wearing any pants, but also jealously because Sam's arm was draped over his wife. But those emotions were pushed aside by the warmth Steve felt at his team literally _snuggling_ up to him while they slept.

It was the first time he really realized that his team of renegades had become more than an assassin, an army veteran, and a scientist. They were a family. A family that he brought together, and he kept together because they literally followed where he led. It was his family, not only by marriage but by choice. And he'd protect them at all costs.

As much as Steve wanted to get up, get dressed, and get moving, he decided the world and its problems could wait. Steve turned to give Kayla a gentle kiss on the forehead, then closed his eyes and smiled. He was thankful for once that he couldn't sleep because that meant he could enjoy every moment of peace with his family. He listened to Sam's gentle snoring and the little whimpers Kay made in her sleep when she was dreaming. Natasha was as deathly silent in sleep as she was awake, at times Steve tried to listen for her breathing, but he couldn't even feel it against him.

After a while though, the spell was broken, and Natasha stretched her legs, signaling her return from slumber. She opened her eyes, and Steve saw panic in them when she realized she was cuddled up next to him, but she didn't move, simply looked around, eyeing the situation before remembering the night before. She slowly moved her arm away from Steve and sat up, looking down at Kayla and Sam who were still sleeping soundly. She sat cross-legged, watching Steve for a moment as he leaned his head against Kayla's, pressing their faces together lovingly.

"You hurt her feelings last night." Natasha finally whispered, her voice barely audible, but she knew Steve would catch it. "You made her feel unimportant. Like you don't need her to take care of you."

Steve turned from Kayla to meet Natasha's eyes, guilt was written on his face. "I know. I just don't want her to worry. I can take care of myself."

"She's aware of that. But she's your wife. She loves you and wants to take care of you. Let her have that much Cap." Natasha suggested, seeing Kayla beginning to stir. At her movement, Zawadi wiggled out of his hiding place beneath the blanket by Steve's leg, slowly crawling up between the couple to lick Kayla's face.

"Uh, baby." Kayla scoffed as the dog's tongue found its way into her mouth. "Zaddi, stop please." She churned away, bumping into Sam and causing him to wake with a start.

"What? What's happening?" He grumbled, rubbing his eyes before seeing the culprit. "Silly boy." Sam ruffled the fur on Zawadi's head, distracting him from licking Kayla and turning his attention to Sam.

As Zawadi made his new mission out of loving Sam, Steve sat up and Kayla leaned against him. He put his arms around her and kissed the side of her head. "I'm sorry I was short with you last night. Just because I heal on my own doesn't mean I don't need someone to look after me. I love you, Kay."

"Somebody has to keep you in line," Kayla answered, bumping her shoulder against Steve. "What do you say, Cap? Ready to get this show on the road?"

Steve looked to Natasha on his right, still sitting there with her legs crossed in a sweatshirt and leggings, her hair pulled back into a messy bun. Then he turned to Sam who was being pummeled into the floor of the jet by his hundred-pound dog. When his gaze fell back onto Kayla, Steve simply shook his head, "Naw. Not yet. Let's just hang out a little while longer."

Kayla beamed. It was the best idea Steve had in weeks.


	7. Week 12

"Finally, some time off!" Sam exclaimed as he opened up the back end of the quinjet, allowing Steve, Natasha, and Kayla to escape the cramped quarters. Zawadi barked loudly as he scampered down the ramp, running wildly through the open countryside they had landed in. "I can't wait to sleep in a real bed," Sam added as he stretched and left the jet, closing the back door behind him and turning on stealth mode.

"What, the blanket fort wasn't comfortable enough for you?" Steve teased, breathing in the smell of the grass and the leaves on the cool autumn morning. He placed his hands on his hips, moving his weight from side to side. On the soft dirt, he almost felt lighter, and it was nice.

Sam chuckled at Steve's terminology. Kayla had playfully insisted they build a 'blanket fort' to sleep on after their night in Australia. After piling the blankets on top of each other and spreading out the pillows, the result was actually quite comfortable, Steve finding himself a pillow for Natasha and Kayla almost every night. Sam found a pillow out of Zawadi, who was happy to oblige. They'd effectively turned in the last of Singapore and New Zealand's Hydra base, sneaking away into the darkness before anyone could figure out the 'heroes' were wanted felons.

Despite the newfound camaraderie amongst the four, they were ready for a break and some time apart. And some time alone.

Sam knelt down to pet Zawadi when the dog came running back, happy with his newfound space, "The blanket fort was great while it lasted, but my back is killing me." Sam stretched back up and a popping noise was heard, causing Sam to cringe, "Ouch."

"We've still got a good chunk of cash. How about we try and rent a country home and recuperate for a while. Three whole bedrooms. And three bathrooms if we can find it." Steve offered, and Kayla grasped her hands together in a pleading motion. Steve continued his reasoning, "We can set up shop there for a while, maybe a few days, see where we need to head to next."

"Kay-" Sam started, loving the idea of having his own space for the first time in forever.

"On it!" She replied, pulling a tablet out of her backpack and typing feverishly on it, looking for a place to stay. "Where are we exactly?"

"England," Steve replied easily, but his snark didn't go unnoticed.

"Thanks for the help babe," Kayla muttered through clenched teeth as she continued to search for a suitable place for them to stay. "Three bedrooms, two and a half bath country home for rent. Fenced in yard-"

"You had me at two and a half bathrooms. I'll happily take half a bathroom." Natasha quipped, clipping a leash to Zawadi and handing it to Steve. "Lead the way."

* * *

As the four Avengers and their dog strolled up to the country house, they were met by a plump older woman with short curly hair. She pattered over to them, keys in hand, and greeted them warmly. "Oh, you must be the Rogers family! Come in, come in, I was so delighted to get your call about renting the house! With the summer season over and the holidays not for a few months, we've been rather slow here! I see you have a dog! Is it friendly?"

"Very," Kayla answered, allowing Zawadi to sniff the woman gently.

"Oh delightful, I'm sure he'll love the yard. He's welcome in the house, just make sure he doesn't make a mess please." The woman ordered, and Kayla simpled smiled in return. "How long do you intend on staying?"

"A few days, maybe a week. We are just passing through. Backpacking through Europe. But we really like this area so we thought we'd stick around." Kayla answered easily, having spent time in Europe in the past, the lie came out almost true. "Is cash alright as payment?"

"Yes dear, that's fine. I'll take a week's worth and if you leave early I'll give you your deposit back." Steve pulled out his wallet and sifted through the bills, pulling a large sum of money out and handing it to the nice woman. "If you need anything, you have my number. My son is the handyman for the property, we both live on the south side of the yard. Don't be strangers!" She called as she moved out of the house, closing the door behind her.

"She was... bubbly." Natasha decided, allowing her duffle bag to fall to the floor with a thud. "But this should do quite nicely. I'll take a look around. I'm assuming you two want the master?" She directed toward Kayla and Steve, and the soldier opened his mouth to answer but Kayla cut him off.

"We aren't picky. Take whatever you two want." Kayla unclipped Zawadi's red leash from his blue harness, allowing him to wander around the house freely and sniff everything. Sam kept his back on his shoulders, heading in the opposite direction Natasha had gone to investigate. Kayla moved toward a large cream couch and plopped down, deflating the breath from her cheeks as she did. "It's so nice to rest a bit. Last week kicked my ass."

"You were great though baby. Your form has gotten much better in combat." Steve praised, sitting beside her on the couch and putting his arm around her. Never wanting to be left out, Zawadi jumped up onto the couch. Kayla grunted as he crushed into her, then sighed as he settled in her lap.

_I wish it could always be like this..._

_She's wishing it could always be like this..._

Steve looked down at his wife's content expression, knowing the words going through her head because she said them every time they ended up in a place like this. A little home. A quaint hotel room. Really anywhere that wasn't the quinjet or a battle. Kayla was very open about her hopes and dreams for the couple. After the past three months though, she'd stopped voicing her opinions on the matter, knowing it wouldn't make the clock tick faster or change Steve's mind about their deal.

Three years.

She could do this. Three years from now she could be living in a little house, just like this one, with a fenced in yard for Zawadi and a fireplace and a baby on the way...

"I'm taking the bedroom facing the street. It's the farthest away from the master so I don't have to listen to you two all night."

Sam's words broke Kayla from her dreaming, and she looked up expectantly, a derpy smile on her face. "Okay."

Sam plopped down in an easy chair next to Steve, kicking off his boots to get comfortable. He sighed as he put his arms above his head, stretching out as he leaned into the comfortable leather. Kayla pet Zawadi, allowing herself to seep back into her dreams of this becoming permanent.

"Hey Rogers. You ought to come see this." Natasha's voice called from the next room. Steve grunted as he stood, causing Kayla to groan at his absence as she sunk into the cream couch. Steve walked toward the room Natasha was in and found her crouched down looking under the bed.

"What are you up to Romanoff? This is an Airbnb, not a suspect's house." Steve crossed his arms defensively, already dreading what his partner's curiosity would bring.

"It's not bad Steve, look." Natasha pulled out a bunch of old newspapers and handed a pile to Steve. "Read who they are about."

Steve's brow furrowed as he read the newspaper cover, then discarded it, reading another one, then another, and another. They were all about the same person. He looked up, meeting Natasha's gentle gaze.

"Peggy?"

"What about Peggy?"

Steve and Natasha turned to the doorway to see Kayla standing there with Sam, watching Steve carefully. He stammered a little, trying to make sense of what Natasha found, "All of these... they are about Peggy. I don't know why. There's a bunch of articles. Some are about her, some of them just mention her. But they are all about Peggy."

"When are they from?" Kayla asked, seeing the papers were very fragile, and that Steve was begging to rip them with his tight grip.

He glanced at the papers in each of his hands, "This one is from 1953. This one is from 1940. Three years before I met her." Steve's hands were shaking, and Kayla took a deep breath, prepared to handle the situation with her husband. She knew from his reaction to the newspapers that they wouldn't be having the day she'd planned because now he was thinking about _her._

Kayla through Natasha an exasperated glance, silently asking the spy why she had to show these to Steve, but Nat just stared back at Kayla in response. "There are at least fifty newspapers. They are all about Peggy Carter. A couple about Steve too."

"Could be a fan? She was a very prominent government official." Sam shrugged, seeing that Natasha was putting Kayla in a difficult situation. "I don't think this is anything suspicious that we should be worried about... we found this house. Not the other way around."

"I just want to know why they have these. These are old. And they aren't preserved. Whoever collected these collected them when they came out. I just-need to know." Steve finished, head hanging in defeat as old memories flooded back into his mind. The ice. The crash. Hydra. The War. Becoming Captain America. Project Rebirth. The super soldier serum.

He looked up and his eyes met Kayla's greens, a deep forest of warmth that he always felt safe in, even when he cried over another woman. Kayla had never made him feel bad about missing Peggy. She understood that his life was ripped away from him, and no matter how happy she made him, he would always miss the life he was supposed to have. She knew she was the best thing that could happen to him after a terrible tragedy. But she wasn't what he had planned.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kayla noticed an envelope in Zawadi's mouth. When she turned to face the dog, he bolted out of the room, the envelope in his teeth. "Zaddi get back here!" Kayla yelled as she chased the dog up the stairs to the master bedroom. Once cornered, Zawadi dropped the envelope and kneeled down, wagging his tail in the air happily. Kayla looked over her shoulder to see no one had followed her yet, so she knelt down with the dog and picked up the sealed envelope. It had some weight to it. There was something in there. "Well, a little looksie won't hurt, will it baby?" Kayla asked Zawadi, who just panted in response. She took a deep breath and carefully opened up the sealed envelope, careful not to rip any of its contents. Once it was open, Kayla peaked inside and saw what the added weight was. She tipped the envelope upside down, allowing its contents to spill into her hand.

"An engagement ring?" She asked, staring at the rock between her fingers. It was almost as big as hers, but antique, at least fifty years old. She examined it for a moment before pulling out the accompanying letter. "Dearest Fred..." Kayla read aloud as she began to read the letter to a gentleman named Fred. Her eyes widened at the explanation, and she gasped at the signature, then went back and reread it again.

"Kay? Is everything alright?" Steve asked quietly as he knelt beside her, and she looked up at him, a mixture of surprise and panic on her face causing his brows to furrow. "Kay, what did you find?"

"Did you... know- about this?" Kayla handed Steve the letter to read, watching his eyes move as he moved from word to word on the page. When he finally dropped the letter, she was holding the engagement ring.

"Peggy was engaged."

"Before the war. Fred Wells. This," Kayla gestured around, "Must be his old home."

"I suddenly don't want to have sex with you in it." Steve joked, and Kayla tilted her head seriously, "Seriously Kay, this is the past. I saw the look on your face when I said Peggy. She and I had something, but, it's not like you and me Kay. I love you." Steve leaned forward and kissed her gently. "But seriously, can we maybe find a different house?"

"It's not the Wells residence." Sam interrupted, looking out the large window as he entered the upstairs bedroom. "It belongs to the Carters. The newspaper clippings are from Peggy's parents. This is _her _home."

Kayla and Steve met each other's glance, then looked back at the letter, "She never sent the letter. It's been here the whole time." Kayla finally stated, and Steve nodded. "She never told you she was engaged."

"No. She only told me that people wouldn't take her seriously because she was a woman. We bonded over that. People wouldn't take me seriously because I was small." Steve's mind went back in time, remembering his car ride to become Captain America.

"There's no way that woman," Natasha pointed out the window, "Doesn't know who you are Steve. She's fully aware that you are Steve Rogers, and this is Peggy's old house."

"Do you want to stay? Or go? It's up to you Steve." Kayla turned to her husband, pressing him for an answer.

He stared at the full-length mirror, noting a wedding dress on a mannequin nearby. He stood, wandering over to the dress to examine it, then turned back to Kayla, "I'd like to go if it's okay with you. I'm sure we can find another house to stay in."

"I'll, uh, contact the owner." Kayla rose, leaving the room to let their host know they'd be leaving early.

* * *

Several hours later, the weary travelers checked into a hotel in a nearby town. Three separate rooms, three separate bathrooms.

Kayla showered, letting the hot water run over her tense muscles. It had been a hard couple of weeks, and it was time to rest. She stood in the shower until the hot water turned cold. Then she turned off the water and slowly climbed out of the shower, wrapping a towel tightly around herself before opening the bathroom door and letting the steam fill the hotel room.

Steve laid on the king sized bed, staring at the ceiling in sweatpants and no shirt. Kayla couldn't read his expression as he tossed a small red ball up into the air and caught it, causing Zawadi to yap playfully as he waited for his master to throw it.

"I uh, used up the hot water. So maybe give it a while before you shower." Kayla admitted as she used a second towel to soak up the water from her hair. Her long locks fell to her butt, and it would take hours for them to dry completely, allowing Kayla the busy work to keep her mind off of Steve's pensiveness.

"Come here, Kay," Steve commanded, and she couldn't hide the surprised look on her face as he waved her toward the bed. "Come over here."

She slowly walked toward the bed and Steve rolled onto his side, about to have a serious talk with her. She could see the frustration in his eyes, the bubbling thoughts he'd have to get out. "Yes, Steve?"

He grabbed onto the towel around her chest and yanked it deftly, allowing him a full view of her naked. "That's better. Now come to bed. It's about damn time we've been alone."

Kayla beamed as he moved back further onto the bed, beckoning her to join him. She grabbed onto his sweats and pulled them slowly until he was only in his boxers. Then she went to work, moving slowly up his legs, kissing her way up his inner thigh until she reached the edge of his underwear. She gently tugged on them, causing Steve to grunt in frustration because she wasn't removing his body of the clothing.

"Come on Kay..." He growled at her as she laid across his legs, playing with the hem of his shorts lazily. "You're driving me crazy. I've been waiting for this, please."

"Since you asked so nicely." Kayla pulled down Steve's shorts and wasted no time in replacing the warmth of the fabric with the warmth of her mouth on his cock. Steve squirmed under her touch, wanting to skip the foreplay and get to the part where he shoved his aching cock inside her. He grabbed her hair roughly, causing her to lift her head, her eyes hooded with lust as she gazed up at him. His lip quivered ever so slightly, and she correctly read his plea, climbing him slowly, letting him brush against her chest and her stomach until he was situated between her legs. "Baby-"

Kayla didn't have a chance to say anything flirty, because Steve quickly rolled over and pinned her to the mattress, hovering over her with little effort. His forearms dug into the comforter as he settled against her, staying just far enough away to tease the woman. She pouted, wanting him close to her again because she needed his body warmth to saturate the desire in her core. He smiled wickedly at her before dipping his head to kiss the crook of her neck, sucking on it lightly as she whimpered.

"We have to be quiet. Sam is right next door." He cooed as he moved his kissed up her jaw to her ear. "It'll be a game. You'll try hard to be quiet, and I'll try hard to get you to break."

Before Kayla could protest, he slid himself into her, covering her mouth with his hand as her eyes widened, unprepared for the sensation. She pursed her lips together as he removed his hand, shaking her head lightly as she ground into him. He bit his lip, then dove in for a kiss as he began to thrust into her. Her head flew back against the pillow, sucking in air to keep herself from screaming. She grabbed his shoulder roughly as he continued to fuck her, but she pushed him away swiftly, causing him to come out a little. "Are you wearing a condom?"

Steve fell to the side, rolling on the bed toward the pack he'd brought with him to the bedroom. He grabbed a strip of condoms and threw them all at Kayla, watching her expectantly. She nodded approvedly, "I like the way you think Cap."

* * *

Four hours later, Steve and Kayla laid tangled in the sheets, staring up at the ceiling. Kayla panted as her left arm flopped across Steve's brawny chest. "That... was great."

"I love you, Kayla. Don't ever doubt that." Steve said as he pressed a kiss against Kayla's temple. "Someday, we'll do this for a living."

"Oh yeah? Just lay around and have sex all day?" Kayla giggled.

"We'll spend forever just like this."

Kayla sighed happily, her eyes closing at the thought until she had another one, "Do you think we'll ever grow old?"

Steve smoothed her messy hair as he breathed deeply, his chest pressing against her heated cheek. "I don't know. I have no idea what the serum means for me... for us. If we were young forever, I wouldn't complain." Steve chuckled, but Kayla shook her head against him.

"No. It would be an awful burden to bear, to watch everyone we love die without us." Kayla looked up at Steve, seeing him staring off into the ceiling, "I think I finally get why you can't turn away from a fight."

"And why's that?"

"Because you are scared the people you love will die without you, and you'll be left alone again."

Steve considered her words, his heart returning to the discovery he made earlier about Peggy. "Maybe you're right."


	8. Week 20

"I'll take a strawberry daiquiri, add a triple shot of tequila please," Kayla sweetly asked the bartender as she pulled her long wavy hair into a high ponytail. She adjusted the top of her hot pink bikini, causing her cleavage to jiggle as she waited patiently for her drink from the male bartender.

"So, uhh, you on vacation with the hubby?" The man asked, nodding toward her left hand.

Kayla looked to her ring, then rolled her eyes, "Blah. Unfortunately business. He's here for the weapon's conference. So he's busy all day in there. Which is fine, gives me time to hang out here." She winked at the bartender as he passed her the daiquiri.

The skinny redhead gulped at her insinuations, "Trouble in paradise?"

Kayla shrugged, taking a sip of her drink before rubbing her shoulder, her skin starting to turn pink from the sun, "My husband is much older. He can't keep up."

Steve ran down the hallway, sliding behind a maid's cart as hotel security chased after him. They passed as he crouched behind the white linens, staying as quiet as possible, needing to get into position unseen. Once the security officers were out of sight, he stood quietly and started wondering the other direction. He smoothed down his navy blue suit and adjusted his red tie. "I guess I'm not as good at undercover work as I thought," Steve mumbled into his comm, earning a laugh from Sam.

"Not nearly as good as your wife. I've got eyes on her at the pool. She's got some poor kid eating out of her hand. As soon as she gets the key card, she'll pass it off to Nat, then Natasha will meet you in the exhibition hall. Nat, are you in position?" Sam asked, moving his binoculars form the bar to the outdoor lobby where Natasha sat on a couch, reading a magazine in a long red dress.

"I'm ready whenever Kayla is. I can see her from here. If her top was any skimpier the kid's eyes would bulge out of his head." Natasha teased, and Kayla flipped her hair with a laugh, giving Natasha the middle finger behind her back so the bartender wouldn't see.

Kayla leaned against the bartop, getting closer to the slender man as she whispered in his ear, "What my husband knows won't hurt him, now will it? Why don't we get out of here? Is there somewhere we can be alone?"

The man gulped, running his hand through his ginger hair nervously, "Maybe your room?"

"No, no, no that won't work, my husband will find out. He's a got eyes everywhere. Is there anywhere around _here _we can be alone?" Kayla inquired, her hot breath on his ear.

He fiddled with his keys, looking around nervously, "I'm on break as soon as the ten o'clock guy gets here. There's a storage closet down the hall to the left. Meet me in there. We'll have to be quick, I only have a fifteen-minute break."

Kayla quickly swiped the key card from the bartop, looking around before turning back to the bartender seductively, "I can't wait." She took one last long drink of her daiquiri and turned to walk slowly toward the lobby, her hips swinging as her ass hung out her swimsuit, the bartender watching her shamelessly as she walked away. She walked past a beach chair with a purple wraparound cover-up and flip flops in a yellow beach bag underneath. After dressing, she made her way to the lobby, passing Natasha Romanoff in a black bob wig and dark eyeshadow. She lowered her hand as she passed by the spy, allowing the key to fall onto the couch as she passed.

"Miss! I think you dropped your room key!" Natasha called, standing to follow the direction Kayla went. Once out of the lobby, Natasha turned and went down a wide hallway to the exhibition hall of the resort. She subtly shoved the key card into the bra of her strapless red dress, no one the wiser as to its location.

"Romanoff has the card. Heading to your location Cap." Sam explained from his vantage point on the roof, putting his binoculars away and packing up his backpack before flying down the back side of the resort, away from prying eyes. Once he landed on the grass he hid his wings and Kayla walked by the window overlooking his location, a nod saying that everything was in place on her end. She kept walking toward the elevator, hitting the button for the twenty-fourth floor as she shimmied up to a wealthy looking gentleman in a black suit.

He eyed her curiously as she pulled a piece of gum out of her beach bag and popped it into her mouth. She looked up at him, eyes narrowing, "What are you looking at?"

"You're sunburnt." The man said, and Kayla noticed his accent was Eastern European. "Does it hurt?"

"Nope," Kayla said as she popped a large bubble and continued to chew her gum obnoxiously. "But I'll never forget sunscreen again, that's for sure," Kayla added as the elevator dinged and opened to her floor. She waltzed out of the lift and continued toward her room. Once out of view of the gentleman, she pushed her comm closer to her ear, "I'm back at the room. I'll let you know when I have the surveillance feed up." Kayla pulled her own room key out of her beach bag and tapped the door, opening and closing it quickly.

"I'll be there momentarily. I'm in the elevator now." Sam said quickly and Kayla made sure to prop the door open for him.

Natasha sidled up next to Steve, taking his arm easily as she leaned into him, "I'm with Steve. Show should be starting soon."

Kayla saw the door open out of the corner of her eye and knew it was Sam when Zawadi greeted him with happy panting instead of attack barking. "Good thing this dude's being quiet, or we'll get our asses kicked out of this hotel."

"He's a good boy." Kayla cooed, looking over at Zawadi as Sam pet his head after locking the door. "Alright Nat, all systems are up. Southwest corner of the hallway. I see you." Natasha turned over her shoulder and looked into the security camera that Kayla was referring to.

"We've got to get in and get out fast. If anyone from the STRIKE team recognizes us we're toast. Someone's already tipped off hotel security to keep an eye out for me." Steve said as he looked around, making sure there was nobody he recognized.

"Yes, but Natasha sat in the lobby for almost an hour and nobody made a peep. Worst case scenario you become a distraction." Kayla instructed, pulling up the camera feed from the exhibition hall. "They are preparing to open the doors. Stay to the right, try to find a table near the stage on the right-hand side. It's farthest away from the food stations so it shouldn't be too hard."

"Speaking of food." Sam dropped a white paper bag onto the table where Kayla had several laptops set up with the surveillance footage.

"Oh my gosh, you got us donuts!" She squealed, her voice echoing through Steve and Natasha's comms. She saw them flinch through the video feed in front of her. "Sorry, sorry." She apologized as she stuffed a white powdered donut into her mouth. "Alright, saddle up. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."

Steve found an add for a weapons conference in the Bahamas for private investors. Several men who worked with Steve and Nat on the STRIKE team were offering up weapons that Natasha knew had come from SHIELD. They couldn't buy the weapons, but they could steal them.

The doors swung open when Kayla said they would, and Steve and Natasha entered arm in arm, slowly making a beeline for the far right corner near the stage. Once they found a place to sit, Steve pulled out the chair for Natasha and she sat, looking up at him. "I'll go get us something to drink. Weait here." He ordered, turning to make his way toward the bar.

"Look, Sam and I don't know who the members of STRIKE were, so we aren't going to be much help in keeping a lookout. Nat, just past the stage on the right is a storage closet holding all of the weapons for sale. Your best bet at getting them is to get them first before they are sold. Getting them out there? Well, that's a different problem." Kayla looked to Sam, waiting for an idea.

"Is there a back door behind the stage?" Natasha asked, smiling at a couple passing by. "If there's a back door we can sneak them out in between demonstrations."

Kayla moved from between the camera angles, chewing the side of her finger as she did. "Only one way in and out, and that's through the main doors. Rather inconvenient." Kayla mumbled.

"How big are the SHIELD weapons we are extracting?" Steve asked quietly as he returned to Natasha, setting down two glasses of champagne.

"They should all be relatively small. But some were created as phase two weapons. They harness the power of the tesseract." Natasha admitted, watching Steve carefully as she spoke.

Steve's jaw hardened and his eyes turned cold. "I thought Fury got rid of all that stuff after the Battle of New York?"

"Shhh, we'll talk about that later. Right now we need to focus on getting them out of here. I'll go in, grab what I can, but I'm going to need a distraction. Steve?" Natasha asked, turning to the super soldier.

He sighed, "Fine. But it's gonna take all of us. Kay. Sam. How soon can you be here?"

"Give us ten minutes. I think I have an idea." Kayla told Steve as she stood, flinging open her suitcase to find herself a dress.

* * *

"It's been twelve minutes. Where are they?" Steve looked around, wondering where his wife and friend were. The show had already started, and their window of getting SHIELD's weapons was closing fast.

Natasha leaned forward on her elbows, taking another long swig of her third champagne. "They'll be here."

The doors to the exhibition hall flew open and Kayla came storming in, wearing a low cut green dress with cap sleeves that flowed behind her as she practically glided toward Steve. The man on the stage, presenting a crossbow, stopped talking and watched as the tall blonde reached the investor. She slapped him hard against the cheek, beginning to yell so the whole room could hear. "How _dare _you? Stepping out on me with _her?"_ Kayla sneered at Natasha.

The assassin took the hint and stood, towering over Steve on the other side of the table, "You're still MARRIED? You told me you left her months ago! How could you do this to me? You're just after my money aren't you?" Natasha slapped Steve across the other cheek. "I can't- I can't even look at you right now." Natasha stormed away from the table as Steve stood to face Kayla, placing his hands in front of him defensively.

"Listen, babe, I-"

"Babe? Oh, oh _now_ you call me babe after I found you out as the lying, cheating scamp that you are. You've been distant, always traveling, never answering your phone! You're secretary thought _I _was coming on this trip with you and it was _her _all this time! I can't believe you. Go to hell!" She wound up to hit Steve again, but he grabbed her hand in midair, holding her tight. "Ow, ow, he's hurting me! Someone help, he's hurting me!" Kayla cried, looking around frantically. She was aware of the brief panic in Steve's eyes, as he wasn't prepared to fight off the gun salesmen.

"Leave the lady alone. I think you've done enough." A voice said from behind Steve, and he turned around to see several large men behind him. Steve was a massive guy, but the men behind him had the mob mentality of protecting the lady.

"She's my wife, I'll deal with her as I see fit." Steve snarled, but Kayla saw him swallow deeply. He was worried.

She struggled against his grip, beginning to cry, "Let me _go._"

"Let the girl go." The man Kayla had seen in the elevator threatened as he cracked his knuckles. He grabbed Steve by the jacket, sizing him up. "Show some respect."

Steve swung at the man and Kayla ducked, dodging under the table as the fistfight began. She made her way toward the right side of the stage, finding Natasha rummaging through the storage room with Sam at her side. He was already in his Falcon gear, ready to fly out if need be. "Let's load up Sam's backpack with the larger weapons. You and I can take the smaller guns out under the dresses." Natasha pulled up her skirt to reveal several holders on her thigh.

"Is Cap gonna be okay?" Sam asked, looking over Natasha's head. "He's getting his ass kicked."

"He's doing great, here, put this in your bag." Natasha handed over a thick SHIELD weapon to be loaded in the Falcon's pack. Kayla shoved two guns into her own thigh holsters that Natasha had gifted her.

Kayla looked over her shoulder to see Steve throw one of the patrons over his head. It was then that his former teammates realized who he was. One of the members of the STRIKE team named Jack Rollins stood from his table in the rear of the room, making his way toward the blonde soldier. "Captain." He said, facing down Steve.

"We've got to go. Now." Natasha hissed, and slinked away, closing the door now that all the weapons belonging to SHIELD were on their persons. Kayla looked from Natasha to Sam, who nodded at her.

Sam ejected his wings and took off, guns blazing into the room. His presence worked as planned, and everyone turned to him, realizing they were under attack. Everyone started pulling pistols and shotguns from under the tables as he flew easily out of the room.

The distraction allowed Jack a chance to face Steve uninterrupted. He lunged at Steve, and the soldier easily blocked the attack, having spent months training with the man. Jack tried to undercut Steve, but Cap was too fast and too strong and blocked him again, kicking him easily away. But Jack pulled a gun from his jacket, aiming it at Steve as he skid to a stop.

"You aren't so tough without your shield now are you?" Jack cocked the gun, preparing to shoot as people ran past them. "I remember seeing your pretty little girlfriend running off to save you. Guess it didn't work out so well for her."

A ceramic plate crashed against Rollins' skull, and he fell to the ground unconscious. Kayla looked from the unconscious man to her husband, panting, "Guess it didn't work out well at all."

Steve smiled and took her hand, yanking her away from the former SHIELD agent to lead her back to their room to celebrate a successful mission.

* * *

It's surprising how well a baseball cap and sunglasses could disguise four people who had caused a coup the day before. Natasha let her long red hair flow freely as she floated on her back in the resort pool, backstroking her way to the tequila shot Kayla was offering her from her beach chair.

"To us!" Kayla toasted as she handed Nat the small glass, and the two threw back the shots. Nat handed back the plastic glass and went back to her swimming. Sam stood by the bar, ordering another round of beers for Steve and himself. Kayla turned her head to look down at Steve who was sunbathing in her beach chair, a baseball cap pulled low over his face to disguise it from anyone who may recognize him. "Having fun soldier?" Kayla teased, trailing her finger down his chest as he baked.

"Shhh, I'm not a soldier today." Steve grinned under the brim of his hat. Sam sat down next to them and handed Steve his beer. "Is this what you did before you met me?"

"Yes." Kayla answered simply, adjusting her hair pulled through the back of her blue baseball cap. "When I wasn't going to galas or actively trying to replicate Erskine's formula, I spent a lot of time sunbathing. Lots of pool parties. Lots of tequila."

Steve shook his head disapprovingly, taking a long sip from the neck of his beer bottle, "Can't believe you gave up all this for me. A terrible decision. I see that now."

Sam laughed at Steve's joking, glad to see his friend was enjoying himself. "We could always trade sides. Steal stuff and live the high life. Would your conscience allow that?"

"Absolutely not." Steve chuckled, taking another long swig and emptying his bottle. "I don't think I'm cut out to live the high life. I get too antsy."

Kayla gave her husband a knowing look over, seeing the way his muscles twitched, already wanting to move. Steve Rogers didn't know how to settle down. It was an idea that he was working on, knowing that eventually, he'd have to create a more stable life for his bride. Thrust from the army into the Avengers, he hadn't exactly kept a stable job over the years, and ideas on making cash illuded him. He didn't want to rob anymore ATMs just to put a roof over his head and a meal in his stomach.

"I'm out." Steve tipped his beer bottle upside down, showing there wasn't a single drop left.

"I just got this round. You're turn." Sam nodded toward the bar he'd just come from. Steve groaned as he stood, stretching his arms. Several women nearby took notice of his figure as he flexed, but he didn't notice their attention.

Steve sauntered up to the bar to order another drink, tossing a twenty onto the counter. Without warning, Natasha was beside him, her hips tilted to the side as she leaned in to talk quietly to him.

"Your two o'clock. Jack Rollins."

Steve rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide his annoyance, "Great. We'll have to deal with him."

Natasha leaned against the bar in her bikini, subtly looking around through her sunglasses, "He's got a gun."

"I'm in my swim shorts-" Steve stammered as he turned to Natasha.

"Then we better get the jump on them first." Natasha flung her fist up, hitting a man that had wandered too close, knocking him out. Everyone in the area went silent. Steve met Rollins' gaze, and the former STRIKE agent brandished his gun, causing everyone to scatter as Steve leapt toward the man, grabbing his hand and squeezing tightly until Jack dropped the gun. Natasha kicked against another agent with her bare foot, her hand holding her top so she didn't flash everyone.

"Should we help them?" Sam said as he leaned his head against the lounge chair to face Kayla. A scream of pain was heard as Natasha threw a hurricane drink glass against her attacker's face.

Kayla leaned forward, looking over Sam as Steve threw Rollins over his head into the pool, causing everyone that wasn't Sam and Kayla to run away screaming. Kayla pursed her lips, then shrugged, "Naw."


	9. Week 24

It was December 22, but it didn't feel much like Christmas. It was humid and sticky in Costa Rica where Steve and his team found themselves that afternoon in December.

"How the hell did an Ultron sentry end up all the way out here in the jungle?" Sam grumbled as he slashed through some thick brush, following several paces behind Steve. Steve and Natasha wore their uniforms, Steve's barely recognizable anymore from the constant wear. Sam opted to simply wear his gear over a thin t-shirt and Kayla opted for no gear at all. She left everything in the quinjet with Zawadi, wearing short khaki shorts and hiking boots with an army green tank top.

Kayla swatted a bug that landed on her bare shoulder, whining as she looked back at Sam, "Apparently Ultron had more reach than we thought. And it wouldn't take too much work to reprogram one of Stark's robots to function without the Ultron programming."

"How can we be sure the Ultron programming is dead?" Sam questioned again as he carefully stepped over a pile of animal poop.

"We can't," Natasha answered simply, not turning back to look at the pilot. "We have to be prepared for anything."

"We get in, destroy the robot, get out. Doesn't matter what programming it has, it'll never see outside this building. Sam will be surveillance, while Nat and Kay stay outside as backup. I'm going in alone. Nat, you got the device?" Steve asked, turning to the Black Widow expectantly. She handed him a small black orb carefully and he tucked it into the pouch. "Stay close. Stay quiet. Easy come, easy go and we can be stateside by Christmas."

"Christmas? We celebrate the holidays?" Kayla mocked, but there was sadness in her cynicism. It was hard being on the run during the holidays.

"Well, we have to have something to look forward to," Steve answered without looking, keeping his eyes trained on the warehouse ahead. "On my signal, move out." Natasha and Kayla walked away from the group, preparing to guard the perimeter as Sam took to the sky, hiding amongst the trees. They watched their Captain, waiting for orders to head out on their mission.

Kayla coughed as she stumbled away from the burning building. They'd destroyed the Ultron all right. And the whole damn warehouse. Nat's device was a powerful explosive that Steve set to go off inside the Ultron sentry, but the resulting fight kept them closer to the source for longer than they planned.

Once far enough away to catch a clean breath of air, Kayla flopped onto the grass and stared into the sky that was quickly filling with black smoke.

"Sam?" Steve's voice asked over the comm.

"Present." The Falcon responded easily.

"Widow?" Steve questioned again.

"A little toasty but I'm fine," Nat answered with a cough.

"Kay? Where are you?" Steve's voice cut through just a little more frantic than the last two times he called.

"Last in the line of worry, I guess." Kayla sputtered. "But I'm fine."

"Meet back at the quinjet in five. Time to head out." Steve ordered, moving easily away from the carnage he caused. He brushed his fingers through his growing hair, pulling it back out of his face. Kayla liked his hair long, and he didn't really have the means to cut it now.

Steve was the first to arrive back at the quinjet and Zawadi greeted him happily. Steve knelt down to pet the Rhodesian Ridgeback on the head, causing the dog to pant happily at his touch. "How are you doing Zaddi?" Steve asked as he sat on the ground, putting his arms around the big dog in a hug. "It's been a long time since it's just been you and me huh?" Zawadi simply panted in response, not trying to lick the dirty soldier.

Their moment didn't last long, as Sam swooped onto the back of the quinjet, landing easily inside. "Am I interrupting your moment? Should I leave?" Sam teased as Zawadi leaned farther into Steve's chest.

"This big nut just wants attention." Steve rested his chin on Zawadi's head and the dog hardly noticed, too content in getting Daddy's full attention.

Natasha appeared from the side, climbing easily into the quinjet before placing her hands on her thighs to lean over, giving herself a break from her trek. She was hot and sticky and smoky and so ready to get cleaned up. Nat pulled up her long hair and secured it on top of her head with a clip, allowing some curly strands to fall around her face, sticking to her sweat. She looked at Steve sitting on the ground, holding the dog, and rolled her eyes, scrunching her nose in disgust. As much as Kayla and Steve loved that dog, his presence on their missions was annoying to her. He was just another thing to worry about. They had enough of that.

"Where's Kay?" Sam asked, looking back out into the jungle. If Natasha was back, Kayla should have been there by now. However, it also wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Kayla was being slow on purpose.

Steve looked up from petting Kayla's dog, looking out into the trees expectantly, "Zaddi, go find Mommy." Steve pushed the dog toward the opening, letting him run free into the wilderness. Steve wasn't worried about the dog. He was bred to fight lions, he could handle an ocelot.

"Hey you, why are you out here by yourself?" Steve heard Kayla call to the dog as she sprinted toward him, picking up her pace at the sight of him. "Did Daddy let you go? Is he being bad?" Kayla smirked into the jet as she approached, following Zawadi as he ran forward, then stopped to look behind him, leading her home.

"Bout damn time Mrs. Rogers," Steve said as she reached them. He placed his hands on his hips, looking official and Captain-like, even in his disheveled state.

"Language Captain." Kayla hissed before greeting him with a kiss. "So, now where to?"

Steve smiled at Natasha, who nodded approvingly, "It's a surprise."

"A surprise?" Kayla inquired, letting her travel pack fall to the ground. "That's odd. You don't keep secrets from us about missions."

Steve just shrugged as he kept his hands firmly pressed against his hips, looking at the ground to hide his smile, "Maybe it's not a mission."

Kayla's eyes widened and she looked to Sam, who looked just as confused as she did. "Don't look at me, I'm not in on it."

"Take a seat. Time to get going." Natasha ordered, closing the back of the quinjet so they could take off.

Steve took to the controls, leaving the other three to settle into the jet and clean up as best they could. Kayla stripped out of her sticky jungle clothes and pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants and a matching hoodie before taking a seat to the left of her husband. She watched him intently as she yanked her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. "What are you up to?"

"Don't worry about it." Steve couldn't help but smile as he kept her in the dark. He'd gone through several burner phones orchestrating his Christmas present for his wife, trying to get through to the correct parties without alerting the authorities. By sundown, they'd be at their destination, and he could hardly contain his excitement.

Steve turned to give Kayla a coy glance, but she didn't press the subject again. Clearly, Steve had a happy surprise for her, and as curious as she was, she didn't want to ruin it for him.

* * *

Kayla fell asleep somewhere outside of Costa Rica, exhausted from the mission that day. So she didn't see when Steve gently put the quinjet down in Virginia on an open plot of pasture. Sam looked out at the snowy field, beginning to realize where they were. "Cap?"

Steve gently shook Kayla awake as Natasha buttoned up her black coat behind them. "Kay?"

Kayla stirred quickly, looking around frantically to figure out where she was. She visibly relaxed when she saw the familiar walls of the quinjet and her teammates standing nearby. "Sorry, how long was I out for?"

"A couple of hours. We're here." Steve answered, nodding his head towards the front of the jet for her to look out.

Kayla stood and turned slowly, her breath catching when she saw the snow on the familiar field. She turned to Steve, tears in her eyes, "We're home?"

"Yeah, baby. We're home for Christmas." Steve pressed a kiss to her temple.

Kayla shook her head in disbelief before darting to the side of the quinjet and opening up a drawer that held their winter wear. "How did you know where to find them? How did you know where my family lives?"

"Nat knows. I got a hold of them a week ago, asked if they would mind some company for the holiday. I thought it would be nice." Steve admitted, rubbing his hand through his hair nervously. He hadn't spent a lot of time with his in-laws. What little he had hadn't always been pleasant aside from their wedding.

"Thank you Steve." Kayla pressed a swift kiss to his lips before zipping up her coat. "Zaddi, let's go!" Sam opened the back of the plane and the dog ran out quickly, taking off toward the house he knew well, Kayla running behind him through the thin layer of snow.

When she approached the big brick house, Kayla paused. She was nervous. A happy nervous, but nervous none the less. It felt strange to be home when she lives a nomadic life. But here she was.

Kayla raised her right hand to knock on the oak door, but before she had the chance it swung open, revealing her mother in a red sweater on the other side.

Sandra Ellis's lip quivered as she took in the sight of her daughter. She was still tan from their mission last month, and her hair must have gotten terribly long to create such a mass on top of her head. There were dark circles under Kayla's eyes but her emerald green eyes betrayed the tired look with their brightness.

Kayla wasted only a beat before enveloping her mother in a tight hug, holding her for a long while until Mathew Ellis sauntered up next to the women.

"Daddy!" Kayla cried out when she saw her, moving from her mother to her father. Mathew choked a little from her tight grip but didn't ask her to loosen it, enjoying his little girl's company for the first time in months.

Steve, Sam, and Natasha had made their way up to the front door now as Zawadi barked loudly, running circles around the driveway and the people who stood on it.

"Mr. Ellis. Mrs. Ellis." Steve greeted cordially, but Sandra quickly pulled him into a loving hug.

"Shh, call me Mom." She admonished as she released the soldier. Mathew Ellis shook Steve's hand with a beaming smile as Sandra greeted Sam and Natasha as warmly as Steve. The older woman paused and looked to Sam wearily after releasing him.

"Where's Tiff?" Kayla asked looking past her parents into the two-story home.

"She's in D.C. for the weekend. She's got a new beau. It hasn't been very serious, but we'll see how this week goes. She'll be back Monday for Christmas Eve though." Sandra watched Sam curiously, waiting for his reaction, as did the others. Sam simply shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded. It wasn't exactly the Christmas he was expecting. Sandra quickly took charge of the situation, moving to the side to usher everyone in, "Come in, I'll show you to your rooms! I'm sure you'll want to get settled... maybe freshen up?" Her glance fell on Steve specifically who was still wearing his uniform covered in debris and soot.

"Yes ma'am, I'd appreciate that." Steve chuckled and Sandra gave him a pointed look. He shrugged, slinging his right arm over Kayla's shoulders, "It'll take some getting used to- not using the formalities I mean. I haven't called anyone mom in almost eighty years."

Sandra chewed on the information and decided to let it go, her face lifting into a smile as she guided her daughter and son-in-law to their room.

Once upstairs, Steve went to take shower and Natasha unpacked her small pack onto the spare bed in Tiffany's room. Sam offered to take the couch and sat down for some coffee with Mathew Ellis.

"So how has it been going? You all doing okay?" Matt prodded. He watched Sam carefully, seeing Sam's wheels turning as he decided what to tell the former President.

"We're okay Sir." He decided before continuing, "It's been hard but we are doing okay. Making progress. Two and a half more years till we call it quits. Kayla's ready, Steve and Natasha not so much."

"What about you?" Matt presses, taking a long swig from his mug as he watched the pilot. "You ready to throw in the towel?"

"I was content working at the VA Sir, but Cap needed my help. Unfortunately, now the chance of a normal life has slipped through my fingers. It's... complicated."

Mathew nodded, considering Sam's dilemma. "When its all said and done, if you guys aren't in the clear, you let me know. I still have some pull on Capitol Hill. We could get you back to that VA job. When you are ready."

"Thank you, Sir," Sam said quietly, unable to hide the smile on his face.

"Is there any more of that coffee? If not I can brew a fresh pot?" Natasha asked as she waltzed into the room, smelling the java.

"Yes there's more, pour yourself a cup and join us! Mugs are in the left cabinet by the microwave!"

"Your friends seem to get along well with your father," Sandra noted as she tossed a load of Kayla's clothes into the washer. "They are at ease here."

"Sam gets along with everyone. Natasha though is harder to crack, but she really seems to like you guys." Kayla admitted as she sat on the dryer next to her mom.

Sandra tilted her head in a slight shrug, focused on pouring the detergent in, "You could stay for a while. You're all welcome here as long as you'd like. Looks like it's been a hard six months."

"To be honest it's been a hard three years," Kayla mumbled, sliding off the dryer as her mom started to wash her dirty clothes. "It's worth it though. To be with Steve. He's special."

Sandra held back a chuckle, but the grin escaped, "You don't have to convince me, honey, you already married him. I knew Captain America is a good man but is Steve taking care of you?"

"As best he can. He's got a job to do. But once it's done it'll just be him and I forever. Quiet little house just like this!" Kayla gestures around, holding the edge of her sleeves in her fingers so her hands were tucked inside. "Soon."

"Just don't forget why you love each other. It's easy to get focused on work and forget marriage. Especially when you work together." Sandra cautioned as they came around the corner from the laundry room to the kitchen. "I'm making pasta for dinner, will you help me?"

"Of course. It's been too long since I've cooked a meal. Gotta remember how." Kayla laughed as her mom pulled the pasta maker down from a shelf.

"Is my wife cooking a home cooked meal? I don't think that's ever happened before." Steve teased as he approached Kayla from behind, wrapping his arms around her abdomen.

Kayla turned quickly, facing Steve as she pushed against his chest, "Excuse you, I used to cook for you all the time."

"Not since you became my wife though," Steve replied with a grin, trying to kiss Kayla, but she turned away playfully.

"Nope. Moment's ruined. Try again later." Kayla replied as she turned, breaking free of his arms to help her mom cook.

* * *

After dinner, everyone turned in for the evening. Kayla's feet felt heavy as she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom, Steve right behind her. Once Steve was in the room, she closed the door, turning to Steve.

"Steve, I can't thank you enough for this. It's the best Christmas present ever. Thank you." Kayla pressed sweet kisses against Steve's lips as he smiled into them, his eyes glistening happily.

"I love you, Kay. I'm glad you are happy." He kissed her again, then grabbed her hands and pulled her toward the bed.

Kayla raised her eyebrow questioningly at her husband, "Honey, not at my parents' house."

"What? I can't sleep in your parents' house?" Steve teased as he pulled her down onto the bed with him, the mattress creaking under their weight. Kayla giggled as she pressed a kiss to Steve's nose, then pulled off her grey sweater. Steve took the hint and shimmied down the bed, pulling off her sweatpants so she was just in her underwear. He then pulled off his shirt and wiggled out of his jeans, before pulling up the covers over himself, settling in next to his wife. "Goodnight Kay." He muttered as his eyes began to droop. He was content, and he'd come to sleep better when he was content. He almost slept better than Kayla now.

"Goodnight darling. I'll see you in the morning." Kayla kissed his cheek before snuggling against him, falling asleep herself.


	10. Week 32

The team was broke.

Three months earlier they'd made a haul on the weapons front in the Bahamas, but the hotel hideout cost them a lot more than they thought it would. They'd saved money spending Christmas stateside, but they had nothing coming in.

The worst was the lack of food. Steve and Kayla were starving. They had to make their money last, so the team settled for only two meals a day, sometimes one if they could stomach it. Natasha would often give her leftovers to Steve, seeing as he would never ask for more than he needed.

The team never stayed in nice hotels anymore. Sometimes they only had one small bed, and Steve and Sam would be gentlemen and take the floor while Nat and Kayla shared the bed. Steve and Sam found the beds too soft anyway.

Kayla quickly placed her fake ID on the receptionist's desk. She smiled meekly at the German woman, looking around nervously at the old hotel they'd found. With only a hundred dollars between the four of them, they had to make it work. The German woman picked up the ID and studied the photo of Kayla before evaluating if it was the same woman.

After a moment the woman pushed the plastic back to Kayla, content with her investigation, "Room 204. Check out is at eleven."

"Thank you." Kayla readjusted her backpack, running her free hand through her tangled hair. She turned on the heels of her black boots and made her way to the stairs. She untied Zawadi's leash from his hiding place under the stairwell and led him up the stairs to the second floor to find their room.

Once she was inside the room, she put down her backpack and began unpacking her laptop. She flipped open the black computer and began typing in her password feverishly until her home screen popped up. She clicked on an icon of a little red wing and a camera popped up, Sam Wilson on the other side.

"How's the room Kay?" Sam asked as his Redwing drone hovered in front of him. His wings were compacted but he was prepared for flight.

Kayla rolled her eyes, moving the computer around so Sam could see in his goggles. "It's got walls, a bed, and a toilet. It'll do. Do you have eyes on the target?"

"Not yet. But she'll be around. Natasha arranged a meeting under the alias of Natalie Rushman. She's contacting Lee under the orders of Stark." Sam explained as he fiddled with his gloves.

"And we think Stark's name is going to attract a Hydra agent?" Kayla presses, hacking into the city's street cameras.

"It seemed to. I think she's curious why Stark wants information about her former employment. If anything, it's a trap." Sam looked over the edge of the building he was standing on, peering down into the street with his binoculars.

Kayla zoomed in on the intersection that Redwing was scanning, allowing her to see Natasha standing on the street corner in a heavy brown jacket. It was cold that evening in Germany, and none of them had really dressed for the occasion. Sam shivered in his short-sleeved suit. Kayla was thankful to be inside, even if she was pretty sure she'd seen several roaches run under the bed. Zawadi saw them too, and made it his mission to rid the hotel of its vermin.

"Target is around the corner," Sam said, moving his binoculars. Redwing kept the feed on Natasha, while Kayla moved the traffic cams to see Miss Lee moving slowly through the crowd, her hands shoved in the pockets of her black fur coat.

"Nat, do you copy? She's almost to you. She should pass you a hard drive. If she gives you any trouble we'll have reinforcements at your location within thirty seconds." Kayla explained, setting up all her cameras where she wanted them before pulling a pen and pad out of her pack and placing it on her crossed legs.

"I copy," Natasha muttered, a shiver running through her body as a gust of wind blew her hair across her face.

"Miss Rushman?" A voice asked from behind Nat, causing the redhead to turn and face the brunette woman before her.

Natasha nodded once, eyes focused on Miss Lee. "Do you have what Mr. Stark is looking for?"

"What makes you think I'll turn over information on the remaining members of Hydra? What makes you think I'll betray my team?" She hissed, looking around to see a family walk by, not noticing the two spies.

Natasha smiled coyly at Lee, her voice low and threatening, "To save your own life. The Avengers will wipe away Hydra. Every. Last. Person. And you have been given the chance to deflect and save your own hide. Or you can rot in prison like everyone else we find. Or worse."

Miss Lee tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, her long green coat loose despite the freezing wind that tugged at it, "Last I heard the Avengers were no more. The damage they did to the airport here in Germany cost the country millions of dollars. I don't think Mr. Stark is in the position to be making such threats. And I don't think you are working for Stark anyway."

Natasha was suddenly very aware of the gun being pressed into her abdomen under the woman's green trenchcoat. Luckily Kayla saw it too and called for reinforcements. "Steve, get to Nat. Now!"

No answer.

"Steve? Steve, do you copy?"

No answer.

"Falcon!" Kayla yelped into her comm, seeing Lee begin to press Natasha back towards an alleyway. Kayla moved to a different camera, seeing a black van parked nearby. "Sam she's gonna take Nat, go now!"

"On it!" Sam flew down from the roof of the building he'd been perched on. Lee wasn't expecting an aerial assault and was taken by surprise as Sam knocked her harshly to the ground when they turned into the alley. As she whipped her gun to aim at him, she found two more guns facing down at her, plus Natasha brandishing one to her side.

"Alright! Alright." Candice Lee accepted she was out of options and used her free hand that wasn't pointing a gun at Falcon to reach into her pocket and pull out a flash drive.

"So you brought the info after all." Natasha smugly mocked the woman on the ground. "I thought you knew our play?"

"I like to keep my options open."

"We won't kill you today, but if we find you during our travels, we won't make any promises," Sam vowed as Natasha grabbed the flash drive quickly and shoved it into her pocket. Natasha began to walk away after shoving her gun back into her pants, and once she was around the corner, Sam followed, never lowering his guns until he brandished his wings and took to the sky.

Natasha made a beeline for the hotel they had chosen, stomping her way down the street alone. Anger filled every footstep, and Kayla watched her rampage on the traffic cameras. When Nat reached the entrance of the hotel, Kayla gave her the room number and waited with bated breath for the loud pounding on the door.

_She's really mad..._

The knock on the door came lighter than Kayla expected, but she moved quickly just the same, putting up a hand to quiet Zawadi. The assassin would have no patience for her dog today. When Kayla opened the door, Natasha barged inside, causing the door to pin Kayla against the wall. But Natasha didn't notice, clearly upset with the world.

"Where the hell _is he?_" She snarled at Kayla after looking around the room quickly. "Was he here with you?"

"No! Of course not!" Kayla barked back, suddenly on the defensive, "You think he'd just abandon you for some alone time?"

"I don't know, maybe? He clearly wasn't in position to save me when I had a gun to my stomach. We had a plan, _his _plan. Where the hell is he?" Natasha growled, looking around wildly for their missing leader.

"I don't know Nat. I haven't seen him since I left you three on the quinjet! I don't know where he is. I've had the traffic cams up for every street near you for the past hour and I haven't seen him once. I don't know where he is." Kayla repeated sadly, wanting to defend her husband, but also unsure of why he let down Natasha.

Natasha's demeanor changed once she'd determined Kayla was telling the truth. She didn't know where Steve was either. "I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated. We depend on each other. Times are getting harder. We can't lose focus now."

Another gentle knock came from the door, and Kayla looked into the peephole and her whole body stiffened. She swung open the door so Sam could enter, Steve right on his heels. Zawadi ran happily toward Steve, jumping up on him lovingly, but Steve was as rigid as Kayla and he didn't respond to the dog's whimpers for attention. He knew he'd made a grave mistake.

Once the door was closed, Steve looked up from the ground he'd been studying so carefully to meet Natasha fuming gaze. "I'm sorry Nat."

"You're...sorry?" Natasha questioned, her voice shaking at the words. "You were my backup. You weren't there. She could have shot me then and there-"

Steve reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash, throwing it down onto the bed. Natasha, Sam, and Kayla just stared at the money, and one by one their gaze found Steve, Kayla being the last to look up at her husband. "What is this?"

"We needed more cash. I thought I had more time. I got this off of several people-"

"You stole it?" Kayla questioned, her deep frown only growing. "You mugged someone?"

"I pickpocketed it." Steve defended. "I'd never hurt anyone Kay, you know that..."

"But you stole their money." Kayla repeated, not liking the man in front of her, "We don't need to stoop this low Steve..."

"I need to provide for my team. For my family. By any means necessary." Steve answered darkly, crossing his arms across his chest. "You want to eat or not?"

Sam and Natasha stood silently, the former shifting his weight uncomfortably. They had nothing to say in argument of Steve's claims. It was terrifying, but true. They were desperate.

Kayla though didn't see it that way. It was _her _husband who was stealing from people so they could survive. There had to be a better way. She wouldn't watch Steve fall into such darkness, not even for her. She couldn't. He'd lose the part of himself that she loved so much. The part that stood up for the little guy. No. This was not acceptable. This was not how she lost him.

But Kayla couldn't argue with Steve now. He'd already done it, and they could argue until they were blue in the face, but he'd already stolen the money. And she was hungry. And tired. And damn could she use a good meal and a hot shower. So Kayla resolved to end the fight for now and pick it up later when they were alone. "Fine. We'll talk about this later."

Steve didn't acknowledge Kayla's words, but instead turned to Natasha, unfolding his arms to let them fall to his side, "I'm sorry Nat. I really am."

She nodded, accepting his apology without admitting it, "Let's get something to eat. It's been a long day."

Sam unhooked his backpack and set it on the dirty old chair provided in the hotel room. Natasha pulled her long hair back into a low bun, pulling a hat over her hair to keep her head warm. Steve turned to Kayla, holding out his hand for her to take, but she just stared at it for a moment before speaking. "I'm not hungry. I'll stay here. Bring something back for Zawadi though?"

Steve exhaled, his shoulders deflating at her words, "Kay-"

"You need to eat." Sam demanded, knowing she wasn't going to listen to Steve in that moment. "We'll bring you back something."

"I'm fine." Kayla repeated cooly, eyes locked onto Steve's, "I'll be fine."

"Fine then." Steve barked back, and he left the room, letting the door slam loudly as he went.

Sam let his head fall into his hand, holding his temples to fight off his frustration, "Can you not do this now Kayla? Come with us for food."

"No. I can't... I can't look at him right now. I'm ashamed of him." Kayla mumbled in response, admitting the terrible feelings that made her heart feel like it was a brick.

"Alright. We're still going to bring you food. If you don't want it I'm sure Zawadi will eat both of your meals." Sam finished, following Natasha who was holding open the door for him, silently taking in Kayla's mood.

Once alone, Kayla began packing up her equipment. She put her laptop back in its case in her backpack and loaded up all the communication equipment. Once the bed was cleaned off she sat down with her pen and pad and began to doodle. She wasn't very good, not at all compared to Steve, but it eased her mind a bit, gave her something to do. Zawadi jumped up onto the bed and rested his head on her thigh as she leaned back against the headboard.

A few moments later though, Zawadi's head perked up, and he looked toward the door before diving off the bed. Kayla watched him wearily, unsure of what had caught the dog's attention. Had the Hydra agent found them out? Were they coming for the flash drive? Or worse, to kill the team?

Zawadi was pretty good at detecting threats. He'd bark and the ridge on his back would raise as he growled, usually warning any danger that it wasn't a fight they wanted to get into. Zawadi was incredibly protective of his mom, and she knew she'd be safe in his presence.

But Zawadi didn't growl. He didn't bark. He just stood at the door, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. Kayla moved silently from the bed to the door, unsure of what awaited her on the other side. She pressed her hand against the door, beginning to lean in to look through the peephole, but before she had a chance the door opened on its own, causing her to be trapped against the wall again.

When the door closed, Steve stood across from Kayla, looking her up and down. His jaw was tight, but his blue eyes weren't angry. He took a step closer to Kayla, effectively pinning her against the wall so he could talk to her without her escaping. She was almost eye level with the soldier, and she was imposing, even to him in this moment of weakness. "I'm sorry Kay."

Kayla grabbed him greedily, driving her lips against his as he met her and shoved her into the wall. Steve pushed his tongue into her mouth, making out with his girl desperately, in case she remembered she was mad at him and his time would be cut short.

He was right.

"Steve," she breathed, pulling away from him slightly, "I know things are bad, but there has to be a better way-" He swallowed her words with another kiss, trying to distract her from her frustrations.

"I'm sorry Kay, we just needed more money. I was worried about you all. You haven't been eating and it scares me. I just want to provide for you somehow."

"What you did isn't providing, its stealing. And I won't allow it again. Understood?" Kayla looked at Steve under her eyelashes, tilting her head down enough that he couldn't kiss her until he agreed.

"Yes ma'am." He moaned, trying to catch her lips again. She let him and he hoisted her up by the butt so she was higher than him and walked them over to the bed, lips never pulling apart. He threw her down roughly and looked at her as she grabbed the sheets with her dainty fingers. "Let me make it up to you Kay."

"Please do. And make it fast before Sam and Nat get back."

As if he understood, Zawadi stationed himself by the door and placed his snout under his paws, shielding himself from the view of Steve thrusting Kayla into the bed.


	11. Week 39: Part 1

"Wanda!" Kayla called as she ran from the quinjet, embracing the redhead in her arms tightly. "How are you, Wanda? You look wonderful." She backed away, taking in the Sokovian.

Wanda simply swatted her away, squishing her face in embarrassment. "Thanks, Kay. I'm doing well. How are you?"

"I'm great. Same old same old. War criminal. All that fun stuff." Kayla winked at Wanda before nodding toward the quinjet. "You sure you're up for this?"

"I know you wouldn't be bringing me along if you didn't think you needed me," Wanda replied as she fiddled with one of the rings on her slim finger. She bit at the inside of her cheek apprehensively as she boarded the quinjet.

"We think we will. This is a different kind of threat. Something a little beyond our skill set." Steve explained as Natasha closed the back, preparing them for takeoff.

Wanda sat down on a seat, but Kayla stood next to Steve as he briefed the psychic on what to expect in Thailand. "We've heard whispers of a woman using a type of gas that is capable of rendering a person without any self-awareness of their actions."

"Mind control gas." Kayla clarified, placing an index finger in the air.

"We thought you could be helpful, because of your abilities-" Steve continued.

Kayla leaned in front of Steve, stealing Wanda's attention as her long blonde hair fell in front of her husband, "You know, your mind manipulation and forcefields and the way you can move things with your mind."

"I'm already on the plane. You don't have to convince me now." Wanda mumbled, stripping herself of her red jacket. "What's the plan of attack? What do we intend to do with this woman?"

"We have to get rid of the gas and arrest her. I remember what you were able to do in Lagos. It could be a real asset if she tries to use it against us." Steve answered, shoving his hands in the pockets of his worn jeans. He wasn't having as much fun as his wife.

Kayla wasn't taking their travels very seriously lately. She was despondent. She was quiet. This was the most lively she'd been in several weeks. Ever since the incident in Germany, Kayla's heart wasn't in it anymore.

Steve's mind was always in motion, preparing for their next move. Natasha, much like Steve, was focused on the task at hand. She'd seen too many horrors over the years to become wary when things got tough. She had no patience for Kayla's sulking, but she allowed it because yelling at Kayla would inevitably end with her being yelled at by Steve. Sam had much more compassion for the blonde, but she couldn't confide in him, because his loyalties were to Steve. He would have listened if she would talk, but Kayla kept her feelings to herself, and whatever was bothering her had become a mystery to them all.

The appearance of Wanda though offered a chance at some insight into Kayla's psyche, whether by conversation or force. Kayla was genuinely excited to have her friend around, which Steve hoped would bring her out of her funk and get her head back into the mission.

"So, you all look pretty terrible," Wanda muttered once Steve had left her side to talk strategy with Natasha. "Have you been eating?"

"Not really. It's been tough. We are out of money." Sam explained quickly, ignoring the way Kayla turned her head shamefully. "We'll be okay though."

Wanda nodded thoughtfully as the clouds past by, "You all seem tense."

Sam and Kayla shared a glance before turning back to Wanda, "Tense?"

"I can read into people's minds you know... Tense." She repeated, pulling a pair of earbuds out of her satchel she brought along for the trip. Before she placed them into her ears, she added, "But that's none of my business if you aren't sharing your thoughts with each other either."

Silent hours later, Natasha landed the quinjet in Thailand and the team disembarked, making their way toward the hotel Kayla had booked for them while in the air. Kayla checked them in, as she always did, but for once she wasn't alone. "Checking in. Kayla Rogers." She said as Wanda shuffled her boots against the carpet in front of the Check-In desk.

"Your room is ready upstairs. Do you need any help with your luggage?" The gentleman asked as he handed Kayla and Wanda four keys.

"Thank you," Wanda said quietly as she grabbed the keys while Kayla signed for the room in her sprawling cursive handwriting.

"No thank you, we'll be just fine." She explained, giving the man a curt nod before she turned and followed Wanda toward the elevator where Sam was already waiting with Zawadi and their bags.

The familiar airiness of the comms that came before speaking alerted Kayla to Steve's presence in her ear, "Ten minutes, then we're heading out." He and Natasha must have opted to take the stairs, having listened to what floor they'd be heading to.

After a moment of the elevator moving upward, it came to an abrupt stop. Kayla reached out for Sam, trying to steady herself as Wanda's hands began to glow red. "What the hell was that?"

"Steve? Steve, do you copy? We are trapped in the elevator! Steve!" Kayla yelped, trying to get her husband's attention over the comm. She turned to Sam, "He's not answering."

"Cap? Natasha? Do either of you copy? We need help." Sam tried, getting no answers from the soldier or the assassin.

"Somethings not right." Wanda growled, her eyes turning red as the smoke dancing around her hands, "What level are we on?"

"Level four. Our room is on level nine." Kayla answered quickly, kneeling to rub Zawadi's cheeks so he wouldn't sense their anxiety.

Wanda turned toward the doors as Sam backed away, ready for her to get them out. "We are between floors, I'll open the doors and we'll climb out. I'll go first and see what's happening outside."

Kayla looked up from her crouched spot on the elevator floor, "Perhaps the elevator just broke? It doesn't mean there's something bigger at play..."

Wanda ignored Kayla, using her magic to peel the doors apart, revealing the floor of the hotel midway through the opening. She floated herself up just enough to crawl out, looking around quickly before tossing something back onto the elevator floor. Kayla and Sam moved quickly towards it to see what Wanda had found, "It's a gas mask." Sam observed, then looked up at Wanda who was still looking around, hands red as she stayed on guard. "Could be used to prevent gas exposure, or to gas someone. Do you think-"

"No. Never," Kayla answered quickly, kicking the mask away as Zawadi attempted to sniff it. "Let's get out of here and find the others. I'm sure they are taking care of the issue." Kayla laced her hands together and lowered her arms, making a step stool to push Sam out of the elevator. Once he was out, she hoisted Zawadi to him, and he pulled the dog out of the doors before reaching down and helping Kayla out.

By the time Kayla had heaved herself out of the elevator, Zawadi had wandered off, returning quickly with a matching mask that he dropped proudly at Kayla's feet. Sam looked to Kayla worriedly, knowing his first reaction had been right. Zawadi barked once, lowering his front so his tail wagged happily in the air. Kayla twisted her mouth nervously, "Daddy?" Zawadi barked in response, the mask smelled like Daddy. Kayla threw Sam a pointed look, taking a quiet breath before muttering, "We'd better find them before they find us."

There was no sound of approaching footsteps to warn the three of the attack. Steve practically pounced at Sam, but Kayla knocked the pilot out of the way, taking the force of her husband's attack. "Kay!" Sam cried as they rolled several feet away toward the windows in between the hotel elevators, but the distraction worked perfectly, and Natasha was able to block off the only exit point, trapping the group in the small space.

Steve looked up from the place he held Kayla down, his eyes black as his sights set on Wanda. The psychic prepared to blast him, but Natasha grabbed her by the hair and yanked her viciously away. Wanda was no match for Natasha in hand to hand combat, but she sent a blast of her power through herself into the Black Widow, causing her to stumble backward toward the wall.

From the corner of his eye, Sam saw grey moving away from the elevators and sprinted toward it. Once he was around Wanda and Nat, he saw a woman with a gas tank slung over her shoulder sprinting down the hallway. Steve saw Sam's intentions to pursue and released Kayla to lunge toward the Falcon, but Kayla was fast and grabbed his leg, pulling him down to the ground to give Sam the chance to chase her. "Go, now!" Kayla yelled as permission to Sam, causing him to run full speed down the hall. Natasha saw him follow and made a move like Steve to prevent him, but Wanda held her feet in place, earning a glare from the black-eyed assassin. Both Steve and Natasha turned their attention to Wanda, as she was clearly the greatest threat to their progress. Steve kicked Kayla, causing her grip to loosen and he went toward Wanda, causing Zawadi to growl deeply at him. When Steve reached the girl, he grabbed her arm, breaking her concentration on Natasha and causing her feet to be free. Nat darted in the direction Sam had gone, leaving Steve to finish the job of eradicating Wanda Maximoff.

He changed his approaching, reaching for her neck, but before he could apply pressure, Kayla double kicked him against his side. The movement took him back a few steps and he turned his attention to the blonde, grabbing her by the neck instead and shoving her roughly against the hotel window. He smashed her once and the glass began to break. Zawadi, seeing his master as a danger to his owner, began to snarl at Steve, threatening to attack if he didn't stop. Kayla gasped as he held her tightly against the window, looking out of the corner of her eye to the four-story drop that awaited her. Steve pulled back his arm, still holding Kayla by the neck and swung her against the glass again.

Wanda watched in horror as the glass shattered more, the next time Kayla would be out the window. Red began to twirl on her fingers as she quickly formulated a plan.

_Maybe I can remove the gas from his mind?_

Steve pulled back one more time and prepared to send Kayla flying out the window to her death. However, the motion signaled Zawadi just as much as Wanda and the dog dove toward Steve from the side, ripping the soldier's attention away just as Wanda shot red at Steve.

Kayla heaved as she was dropped to the floor, Steve and Zawadi limp beneath the cracked window. Kayla held onto her neck, trying to catch her breath as she stared down at her husband. She looked up at Wanda as the Scarlet Witch floated to her side. "What did you do to them?"

"I wanted to try and remove the gas from Steve's mind. I had to be quick though or you'd be gone. We need to go, now." Wanda explained breathlessly, her eyes settled into their normal color as she looked down the hall Sam and Natasha had fled.

"Go after Sam. I'll get them to our room." Kayla ordered, eyes pleading, "We can't risk her controlling Sam too. Especially if Steve wakes up and is still under her control." Wanda nodded, then moved quickly in the direction of the skirmish Sam was having with the Black Widow.

Kayla turned to the elevators, pushing the up button. Their elevator had been broken by Steve and Natasha, but the other three should still be in operation. Once the doors opened, she drug Steve's heavy body into the doors, then doubled back for the much lighter Zawadi, hoping her two boys would be okay.

* * *

Steve's eyes were heavy as he opened them, trying to focus. He remembered fighting Kayla, but he couldn't remember why. His whole body felt numb, and wrong. Everything felt wrong. He tried to lift his head, but it felt wrong. He tried to move his legs, but it felt wrong. He looked up, realizing he was on the floor. His vision was wrong. The world seemed dull. He looked down, he was resting on a fluffy comforter.

But it was then that panic set in. Because he didn't have hands, he had paws. He moved his head, looking over his shoulder. He had a tail connected to his chestnut body. He was _a dog._ Not just any dog, he realized, Steve was Zawadi. He quickly stood, his legs feeling weird beneath him as he moved on all fours to a full-length mirror in the hotel room.

_Oh God... What's happened to me?_

Steve knew Zawadi well, the dog had been a constant part of his life for three years, but never had he desired to become the creature. As massive as the Rhodesian Ridgeback was, Steve felt so weak. He couldn't see correctly, he couldn't speak. Everything was _wrong._

_What am I going to do? What is Kayla going to think? How will I ever become human again? If I'm in Zawadi's body, where is Zawadi?_

It was then Steve realized his own massive frame was resting on top of the king-sized hotel bed. He propped up his paws on the edge of the bed, studying himself. He wanted so badly to wake up from this awful dream. To wake up in that bed and have everything be fine. But dread filled Steve's head, knowing that it wasn't a dream, and that there were most likely only two options. Either his body would lie dormant, dead without a soul, or he'd in fact traded places with his dog, and Zawadi would soon wake up to find himself human.

Much to his own disgust, Steve began to lick whatever lied inside of his body, needing to know all the variables before creating a plan. He used his long pink tongue to cover the stubbly face with slobber, hoping it would be enough to wake up whoever was inside of him. After a few long strokes of his tongue, Steve had decided there was no one there and moved back down to the ground to think. He didn't know if he could talk, or only bark? He tried to speak, but it came out a low pitched howl. Clearly, no one was going to understand him.

_I could write a letter. I could write down what's happened to me. Kayla will know what to do. Wanda will know how to fix this... Wanda... Yes, Wanda must have done this using the powers from the mind stone. She'll be able to fix it._

Steve jumped up onto the desk chair and tried to pick up the pen to write on the paper. It took several tried to get it into his mouth, but he just couldn't hold it right. He tried to write, but it came out as nothing but squiggly lines. No, this wasn't working. He'd have to think of something else.

Steve was thankful that Zawadi's hearing rivaled his own, even if his eyesight was terrible. He heard the slight rustling from the bed and realized that his body was awake. Clearly, someone was home after all. A deep moan came from his throat, making Steve shiver violently. That was _his body_, and he wanted to go back to it _now._

The man rolled over slightly and opened his blue eyes. They widened against the wall, something amiss in their brain. Steve watched carefully as the man pushed himself up, immediately realizing he had arms.

_It's Zawadi. Zawadi is in my body. My dog and I traded places!_

Steve barked up at Zawadi, but the dog-turned-human hardly noticed, having caught sight of something much more interesting. He slowly pushed himself to the edge of the bed and planted his booted feet firmly on the hotel floor before attempting to stand. After a moment, he seemed to realize he had decent balance on two legs and moved toward the full-length mirror. When he reached the glass, he touched it, fascinated by the way the cool material felt under his fingers. Then he moved to touch his face, and pull on his hair. A beaming smile broke across his features as he took himself in, "I'm... human?" He questioned, unsure if it was the correct word. He'd heard it once or twice. "Mommy and Daddy, they are... human." He tried again, moving his head side to side as he took himself in. "I'm Daddy. I'm- I'm talking?" Zawadi seemed to realize the words coming out of his mouth were the words his owners used. Something inside his human brain knew what words were and more or less knew how to use them. The sensation of being a person overtook the brief realization that Zawadi had become Steve Rogers.

But Steve caught the brief realization that his dog had become 'Daddy' as Kayla affectionately referred to him as. Steve barked up at the man, trying to get his attention. It worked like a trigger, and Zawadi turned quickly to face the dog, staring back at himself in confusion. He looked at the dog, then looked at the mirror, then back to the dog questioningly, "Daddy?"

Steve gave a firm nod, then began barking.

_Yes, it's me, Steve. Go find Kayla, tell her we switched bodies. Do you understand me Zaddi?_

Zawadi just stared at Steve, the wheels in his head turning fast, but it wasn't clicking. "I don't- I don't understand. Why don't I understand? I'm a dog, I understand other dogs. Why don't _you _understand?" He sneered down at Steve, but Steve wasn't about to take his dog's sassy attitude. He began to growl at the man, baring his teeth as he felt his namesake ridge on his back stand up. Zawadi pulled his eyebrows together, frustration taking over him, "Don't get mad at me! I don't know what's happening. I don't... I don't understand." A thought dawned on Zawadi, and his frustration turned to pure anger as he snarled at the dog, "You tried to hurt Mommy. You tried to _kill _her. Nobody hurts her, not even _you."_

The burly blonde man lumbered toward the dog, and Steve immediately saw his error. Zawadi thought he was still trying to hurt him and Kayla. He didn't understand that Steve didn't have control of his actions. How could he understand, he was a _dog. _A dog who now inhabited the body of Captain America. Steve lowered his head submissively and whimpered, trying to show Zawadi he didn't mean any harm.

"Steve?"

The dog and the man both looked up at the familiar voice. Steve's heart sank when he saw that Kayla wasn't looking at him, she was looking at his body. She was watching him wearily, her trust in him broken. She was testing the waters to see if he was still under the control of the gas. She was afraid of him.

Zawadi looked toward the dog, waiting for his reaction. That was Steve, he was Zawadi. He had to tell her that. Right?

As he stood there and watched the dog, she approached him slowly, placing her hands up in defense, "Steve, are you feeling alright?"

Zawadi should tell her what happened. He was in Daddy's body and Daddy was a dog. He couldn't explain it well, but he had to try. She was looking at him so desperately, so hopeful. He had to make her feel comfortable. He had to comfort her. He had to take care of her.

In his silence, she continued to approach, slowly but surely closing the gap. She took his silence as a sign of him regaining control of his mind because he wasn't attacking her. "Steve, I-"

Steve couldn't take it anymore and closed the gap between them, jumping up on his wife to lick her face. He wanted to kiss her, but his mind made him do this, the excitement of seeing the most important person in his life there uncontrollable. He placed his front paws on her chest and reached up to lick her, unable to hold back the floodgates of emotions that her presence brought him.

_Kay, Kay I'm so sorry. I love you so much, I would never hurt you. I'll never hurt you again, I promise, just please stay with me._

"Zawadi. Baby, I'm so happy you are okay." She purred into the dog, taking his affection as 'Steve' stook beyond the dog, staring at her. "I was so worried when Wanda's blast hit you too."

_Wanda's blast. She tried to hit me, and Zawadi jumped at me to protect Kayla. It all makes sense now. It wasn't supposed to do this. It was a terrible accident. But Zawadi will tell her what happened. The sooner he tells her the sooner we fix this. _

Steve jumped back down onto four paws and grabbed the edge of her long black sleeve and pulled her toward Zawadi. He yanked her close and she bumped into his chest, fear still evident on her face. But it wasn't as strong as the fear on Zawadi's face.

He took her in, never realizing how _beautiful_ his mom was. He loved that girl more than anything in the whole world. She was his whole world. He'd never felt jealousy toward Steve because he had a different role. He was her Zaddi, and she was his Mommy and damn did he love her and want to protect her. Tentatively, she wrapped her hands around his torso, enveloping him in a hug. It wasn't the first time she'd hugged him, but it was different. For the first time in his existence, he had the ability to hold her back.

He hesitantly placed his arms around her and settled his hands on her back. He focused on the way she felt beneath his fingers. She responded to his touch by holding him tighter. Zawadi couldn't control the feeling in his chest at her touch. He _loved _her, he loved her so much, she was his everything. And for the first time since he was a puppy, since the moment Shuri plopped him into Kayla's arms, she looked at him like he was her everything too.

"I love you." He blurted, no shame on his face at the implications of his words. He'd seen Steve tell Kayla he loved her time and time again throughout the day. He had told Kayla how much he loved her, she'd just never understood him and often taken him outside instead.

"I love you too." Kayla reached toward his face and stroked his strong jaw. Zawadi gulped, knowing what was coming next. He'd seen Kayla kiss Steve many, _many_ times, and he knew the look on her face meant she was coming in to kiss him. He wanted to lick her face but chastised himself because he was _human now_, and that's not what humans did.

Steve watched in horror as Zawadi allowed Kayla to kiss him gently on the lips, cradling his face. Steve had never seen his girl kiss someone else, and it made his blood boil. Why wasn't Zawadi saying something, why wasn't he telling her the truth.

_He's not going to. He's not going to tell her the truth. _

Kayla deepened the kiss, shoving her tongue into his mouth, but Zawadi's eyes burst open in panic, unsure of what to do with this new sensation. He pulled away quickly and looked at Kayla, a silly smile plastered across his face. "That was great!"

"Glad you liked it?" Kayla questioned teasingly, then placed one more chaste kiss onto his lips, "I'm glad Wanda was able to remove the effects of the gas. I was worried about you. The woman still has Natasha though. She laid out Sam before Wanda had a chance to get to her. We'll have to go after her.

_Natasha. Sam. Wanda. Friends. _

"Uh, yeah, we'll have to do that. Maybe tomorrow?" Zawadi suggested quickly, not wanting his moment with Kayla to end.

"Tomorrow." Kayla agreed with a nod, patting 'Steve's' chest, which caused Zawadi to look down at her hands curiously. "Tonight you need to rest. We need our Captain in his best shape if we are going to get Natasha back and arrest the woman. We still don't even have a name."

"Where is Bird Man?" He asked quickly, thinking to himself that Sam must be his name. "I want to check on him!"

"You mean Sam? He's in the connecting room with Wanda." Kayla gestured toward the door. "He's fine. Natasha may have beat him in combat but he can still hold his own. You need to rest. We'll talk more about this in the morning." Kayla turned to leave and Zawadi grabbed her hand, staring at it as he did. Steve growled low, his instincts to get the man away from his wife strong.

"Are you leaving?" Zawadi asked sadly, his eyes falling as he stared at their entwined hands. He never wanted this moment to end.

Kayla lifted his chin so he was looking into her eyes, and he practically drowned in the sea of green, "I'm going to check on Sam while you rest. I'll be back."

"But I'll miss you Mommy-" Zawadi blurted, realizing Steve wouldn't call her that. He felt a tinge of red sneak into his cheeks, something that must happen when humans are embarrassed.

Lucky for Zawadi, Kayla took it as a joke and she winked at him from the doorframe, "I won't be gone long, Daddy."

Zawadi stood still for a moment, watching her go. He didn't understand what was happening, why he was in Steve's body. All he knew, all he ever knew, was that he had to be with Kayla. Every waking moment of the day. And now he could be and damn it all, he would be. He turned back to Steve, who was snarling wildly at him now. Zawadi stared at Steve, eyebrows furrowed, then looked back toward the door, seemingly considering his options.

Steve saw his decision get made and panic overtook him. The man knelt down to pat Steve on the head, a wicked smile on his face that Steve figured the dog at heart didn't intend on creating, "You hurt her. I never have, and I never will. And Steve will never hurt her again."


	12. Week 39: Part 2

_He's not going to tell her. He thinks he's protecting her from me. I have to figure out some other way._

Steve laid back down on the down comforter, nesting his nose against his stomach as he curled up into a ball. The position seemed most comfortable, and Steve was mildly thankful that he had some sort of dog instincts to help him through this time. He knew Zawadi didn't mean to hurt Steve, he just had to protect Kayla. Zawadi didn't understand that Steve also wanted to protect Kayla and that he wasn't hurting her on purpose. As hard as it was to admit it, Steve knew that Zawadi would take good care of Kayla until they were switched back.

"You know, I love you too. A lot. You make Mommy very happy, and you make me very happy. I don't want you to be mad at me. Please don't be mad at me." Zawadi begged as he sat on the bed, eyeing the dog nervously.

_If you didn't want me to be mad at you, you'd tell Kayla you are her dog and not her husband._

"Hey, handsome." Kayla greeted as entered the room, closing the adjoining door behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm great! How's Bird Man?" Zawadi asked quickly, drinking in the sight of Kayla in full color.

Kayla laughed, sitting down next to Zawadi, "He's fine. Feeling better. But we'll all feel better tomorrow, then we'll work on finding Nat." Zawadi nodded, the aloof look on his face betraying Steve's confident demeanor. Kayla took notice and cocked her head to the side, watching her husband suspiciously, "Are you sure you're feeling okay? You are acting strangely..."

"I'm so much better now that you are here." Zawadi yelped quickly, then grabbed her jaw and pulled her lips to his, crashing into her as his eyes stayed wide. Steve turned away, not wanting to see his wife and her dog kiss. It was too strange. Kayla didn't know what she was doing. Zawadi did though, but he lacked the understanding that it was inappropriate to kiss another man's wife. Zawadi kissed Steve's wife every day in his own way.

"Steve... You're so... passionate this evening..." Kayla breathed between kisses, keeping herself close to him as she kissed him back. "I like it. Maybe, if you're feeling up to it, we could have sex?"

Steve's head perked up at that, turning quickly to the pair sitting on the bed. Kissing Kayla was one thing, but would Zawadi _have sex _with her? Steve began to bark, ruining their mood as Kayla knelt to him to shush him. "Shhh, baby, not here." She looked back up at Zawadi, who was thinking through her request. His eyes turned up toward the ceiling, trying to figure out what 'sex' was. Steve took this moment to lick Kayla's face, taking care to slobber all over her so she wouldn't feel sexy anymore. "Zaddi, gross, please don't." She swat him away gently as he place on long lick across her chin up her mouth and into her nose. She squished her face, no longer in the mood. "On second thought, I'm going to take a shower. You could always join me there?" She asked 'Steve', who understood what showers were, because while they were traveling she'd often bring him in with her.

Once again, Steve's plan backfired and Kayla yanked her top over her head, revealing her scandalous lace bralette. She unzipped her jeans and pulled them over her toned hips slowly, teasing her husband and not realizing it was her dog. Zawadi's mind was running a mile a minute, trying to sort out all of the thoughts Kayla was putting into his head. He should most definitely _not _join her in the shower. He should most definitely _not_ stare at her naked. And above all, he couldn't partake in whatever this sex was that she was talking about. It was then, as she unclasped her bra and let it fall to the ground, that Zawadi realized what sex was.

_Oh she wants me to mate with her. _

His eyes softened and he nodded his head understandingly, and Steve could see it too. He was not about to let his dog have sex with his wife though, by any means necessary. Steve growled viciously as the man, who backed away from Kayla, his hands up defensively. "It's okay. It's okay, I'm not going to-"

"Zaddi, stop." Kayla pulled gently on the dog's tail and the feeling was hell on Steve's body. He wasn't expecting that and didn't know how to react to it. Steve turned to face Kayla who grabbed his mouth, massaging his teeth the way she always did when Zawadi growled because she knew he wouldn't bite her. Steve didn't like the feeling of her small fingers in his snout, so he closed his mouth and sat dutifully next to her, leaning against her bare leg. "I don't know what's gotten into him tonight. I hope nothing's wrong with him from Wanda's magic."

Steve stood quickly and turned to Kayla, lowering himself onto the ground and wagging his tail as his tongue hung out happily.

_Yes. Yes, she's figuring it out. Something's wrong. Maybe Wanda can read my thoughts, maybe Wanda can figure out its really me!_

Zawadi, in Steve's body, shrugged, "I'm sure he's fine. He's... upset that I tried to hurt you. He doesn't trust me anymore." The pointed look toward Steve told him everything he needed to know about Zawadi's intentions. Steve laid down on the floor, giving up on trying to stop his mostly naked wife from making out with his body.

"He'll come to understand you didn't have a choice. You weren't in control of your mind and your actions. He'll forgive you. I have." Kayla pressed a kiss to his jaw as she straddled his lap. Zawadi felt her breasts brush against his chest and he inhaled quickly. He felt hot blood rush through his body. He'd never had a mate, but he'd never been fixed. His soul belonged to Kayla and Kayla alone. It had been years since she and Steve had trained him not to hump everything, but it seemed a little hypocritical because they always seemed to be humping each other. As a dog, his mind wasn't advanced enough to consider what he was missing, but whatever of Steve's human brain he'd inherited told him he should find out...

_No. No I can't do that to Steve. He loves her. She's his mate. _

"I'm sorry, Mo- Kay." He tried her name on his lips and it felt natural, it's the pet name Steve always called her, "I'm just not feeling myself tonight either. Both Zawadi and I are feeling odd from today. I'm sorry to disappoint you." He finished, twitching his leg anxiously.

Kayla pouted, leaning back and taking the warmth with her. "Okay. I understand. I'll be back in a few minutes." Kayla got off of 'Steve' and made her way toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Steve jumped up onto the bed and began to lick Zawadi's face, thanking him for his loyalty. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell her. I will. I'll find the right time, I promise." Zawadi hugged Steve, resting his face lovingly on the dog's head. Steve gave one last lick and then put a paw toward the spot his star used to sit on his uniform. "I don't know how to get it off," Zawadi admitted, not feeling very comfortable in Steve's clothes. Steve nuzzled to the side of the fabric, directing Zawadi on how to remove the clothing.

Steve heard the water turn off and jumped away, leaving Zawadi to panic because he couldn't get undressed. He stood there, arms spread questioningly in front of the mirror as Kayla opened the door and walked out, steam erupting from the bathroom to usher her out in a white towel as she toweled her hair. Zawadi stammered, trying to figure out what to say to the woman, but she spoke first. "Need some help?"

"Yes please!" Zawadi practically begged as Kayla sauntered over, seeing that he had part of his top off.

Kayla finished pulling the paneling off of his top, it was difficult because of all the dirt and grime, but she was used to it. Once it was discarded and he stood in his white undershirt, Kayla swiftly unzipped his pants before dropping to unbuckle his boots. Zawadi turned to Steve alarmedly. Steve just rested his face on his paws, watching the dog freak about what was happening. Steve felt strangely comfortable being naked, but then again, the only people he had been around were his wife and dog, both of who had seen him naked before. As she pulled off one of his old boots, Kayla wiped her hair out of her face, "There. Think you can finish here?" She gestured to his pants and he pulled them down easily, letting them rest around his ankles. "Let's go to bed darling," Kayla suggested, holding his hands as he stepped out of the pants and walked toward the bed. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and gulped. Being human wasn't as easy as he expected.

"Thank you." He mumbled as he crawled into bed in his boxers and undershirt.

Kayla left him by the bed and moved to the suitcase Sam had brought, opening it and taking out a black nightgown. Her bare back was so beautiful in the darkness of the hotel room, Zawadi could make out every muscle as she pulled the light fabric over her body. It barely covered her thick legs, but the fabric looked so comfortable for him to sleep against.

"I love you." He told her again, loving the way it sounded on his lips. She slipped into the bed next to him, running her hand along his upper arm as she moved to get comfortable lying down, "I love you so much."

"I love you too Steve." She said as she pressed her face into the thin fabric of his shirt. Her face was hidden, so she couldn't see his disappointed frown at her words.

_Of course. Steve. _

A quiet bark emitted from the dog's throat as he bounded into the bed, settling in the nonexistent space between Kayla and the man. Kayla laughed as she pressed a kiss to the side of his brown face. "I love you too Zaddi. So much."

Steve's heart swelled at her voice, and he curled his face against her chest so he could feel her breathing. She rested her arm lazily over him to cover 'Steve', but he didn't mind the closeness of being pinned between them. He would suffocate if it meant sleeping close to his wife.

* * *

When morning came, Steve was the first to wake up, severely aware that he had to go to the bathroom. As much as he didn't want to leave the warmth of Kayla's chest, he also didn't want to pee on her, which would make her very upset with him. He wiggled his way out of the embrace and trotted over to the bathroom. Steve knew he could wake up Sam, and the pilot would take him out without a second thought, but his pride got in the way.

He was Captain America damn it, and he wasn't going to go piddle outside.

After successfully maneuvering himself to hover over the toilet, Steve managed to do his business without incident, proud that he could hold on to some scrap of humanity in his current situation. After using his paw to flush the toilet, he wandered back into the room, seeing Kayla still sleeping soundly against his human chest. Steve propped up his front paws and watched her sleep for a moment, taking in the view. He couldn't see all the colors of his wife, but he knew them better than anything in the world. The light blonde of her long hair, the green of her eyes, and the pink of her lips. He couldn't wait to kiss those lips himself once he was human again. He hadn't taken time to look at her like this in quite a while. He noticed that the frown lines on her face had begun leaving the slightest of marks, becoming more apparent than the lines of her smile. Her body was tense against the man's, not comfortable like it had once been. Steve could see the slightest resistance coming from Kayla, despite her acting completely normal the night before. But now she seemed... unhappy?

The smell of coffee began to waft from the other room, and Steve tried to use his paws to turn the doorknob with no luck. He whimpered as he pawed the door, wanting to get to the other side. Finally, with one especially strong push, he was able to twist the knob just enough with his paws to get it to open, leaving him face to face with the door to the other room. He simply scratched at it, confident that Sam or Wanda would let him in.

Sam opened the door to see the dog standing there, and he knelt down quickly to give the canine some love. "Hey Buddy, how are you doing? You know how worried your Mommy was about you?" Sam stood and clicked, leaving Steve into the adjoining room. Sam had coffee running through the machine, but sadly no food in sight. Steve knew he couldn't drink coffee, but he was so hungry, and he knew they wouldn't let Zawadi go hungry. Sam filled a hotel cup with water and set it on the ground for the dog before pulling out some beef jerky from his backpack, "I'll give you this because you were a brave boy yesterday, but you better not fart everywhere and betray me." Sam broke off a piece and tossed it to the dog, who caught it easily, chowing down on the meat.

_I'll take whatever I can get at this point._

Steve felt a gentle hand on his head and looked up to see Wanda walk by, wearing a black dress and black tights with a red jacket on top. At least Steve assumed it was red, he couldn't see her signature color. She moved past Zawadi quickly, sitting on the small chair near the window to look out over the city in Thailand.

"It's not your fault Wanda. There's nothing you could have done." Sam said gently as he handed her a cup of coffee.

Wanda just stared ahead, her voice quiet as she responded, "That woman has Nat. And we don't have the slightest idea of where to find her. I should have tried to pull the gas from her mind instead of holding her in place. It might have saved a lot of trouble."

"We didn't know if it would work. We are just lucky it worked with Steve. You only used your powers on Steve because it was a last resort. We'll get Nat back, and we'll get her back to normal. I'm already listening to the chatter on the radio waves. We'll have a hit by tonight, I'm sure of it." Sam assured, heading back to the machine to make himself a cup.

"I hope you are right Sam." Wanda's thick accent faltered with her voice, her eyes never leaving the sky.

Steve wandered back into his own bedroom, seeing Kayla and Zawadi still sound asleep. He jumped into the bed and began nuzzling Kayla with his large head, trying to wake her up. "Hey, baby." She cooed, stroking his face sweetly, "Do you need to go outside?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Zawadi mumbled, his cheek pressed against the pillow and his eyes still slammed closed. "He's a smart boy." Steve stared at the man, feeling his ridge raise defensively.

_You little shit. Talking about me like I'm not your master._

Kayla sat up, stretching her arms before adjusting her nightgown, "I'll take him out. I could use the fresh air." Steve panted happily, glad to spend some time alone with his girl. Maybe find a way to tell her that he was her husband, not the man she'd slept beside. Kayla moved to the suitcase and pulled out her jean shorts and a tight black tank top. It was hot in Thailand, but she still wanted to feel the fresh Spring air. She pulled her hair up onto her head in a messy bun and clicked for 'Zawadi' to follow her. The human man lifted his head, the noise acting like a trigger for him, but quickly realized she was taking the dog outside and laid back down to sleep.

Steve walked alongside Kayla as she took him down the nine flights of stairs to the back door of the hotel. Once in the main lobby she quickly passed by several construction workers going to fix the elevator, moving swiftly so they wouldn't notice her dog off leash. She took him to a ditch a little ways from the hotel and stopped, crossing her arms and watching him expectantly. "Go potty." She baby talked him, but Steve just looked up at her, not having to go. She groaned, patting his butt exasperatingly, "Go potty, please? Then we can go back inside."

_This is the most demeaning moment of my life._

Steve just stared at her, not having to go to the bathroom. Perhaps he should have woken her up earlier when he did have to go. But he really didn't want to poop in front of his wife. "Really?" She asked, annoyance written across her bare face, "You really aren't going to go? I guess you'll have to hold it then because I'm not bringing you out later." Kayla clicked and he followed her, staying close to her in case anyone approached her. Instead of leading him back to the hotel though, Kayla took a left and began to walk down a slow city street. Steve didn't like her wandering around alone, and wondered if she did it often when he wasn't around. He wasn't around a lot. Since Kayla ran a lot of missions from the hotel, she spent a lot of time alone with Zawadi while he, Natasha, and Sam went out and did the heavy lifting.

Steve nipped at the bottom of her shorts, but they were tight and he didn't want to risk biting her. It did the trick though, and he got her attention, so she found a bench and sat down, patting the wood so he'd hop up with her. "You were so brave yesterday Zaddi. I was so worried about you. You shouldn't have attacked Daddy, but I'm glad you did. I was scared I was going to die." She admitted as she stroked the dog's light fur. "I love you so much, and I'm so happy I brought you along. I'd be so lonely without you."

_Lonely? _

Steve instinctively rested his head on her thigh, thinking over her words. Kayla wasn't lonely, she had him. He was always there for her. Sure, he'd be away on missions, but he'd always come back to her. She shouldn't be lonely.

"We should get back to Daddy. I'm sure he's hungry. I'm sure you are hungry too. Although I'm guessing Sam gave you some jerky." She waved her hand in front of her nose, signaling that the dog was smelly, which insulted Steve. He hopped off the bench though and waited patiently for his wife as she stood, stretched, then led them back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, 'Steve' was finally up and about after taking a shower. He dug through the bag that Kayla had, finding underwear that seemed too large for her, meaning they must be his. He did the same with a shirt, finding a white t-shirt that would have swallowed the blonde. Although his Kayla had gotten stronger, he still thought of her as the weak woman who'd adopted him all those years ago in Wakanda. The one couldn't control him, even if she was strong enough to hold him now. Finally, Zawadi pulled out a pair of jeans that he just knew belonged to Steve because he'd seen him wear them so many times. He pulled the jeans over his legs and zipped them up, mirroring the motion Kayla had used when removing his uniform the night before.

He wandered into the other room quietly, seeing Sam for the first time with clarity. "Bird Man!"

"Cap!" Sam responded with a smile as he walked over to Zawadi and clasped his hand in greeting. "How you feeling man?"

"I feel great. All my senses are so sharp!" He exclaimed truthfully. Zawadi was beginning to see what he'd been missing all his life. He didn't understand that Steve's senses were heightened because of the super soldier serum, but he loved everything. He could smell, hear, see, taste, and feel everything with terrifying clarity.

Sam nodded, his brow furrowed at Cap's strange words, "Right. I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm working on finding Natasha. Haven't had much luck yet."

Steve looked over to see Wanda, deducing that Natasha must be Kayla's other friend, "Mean Lady?"

"Mean Lady?" Sam asked as Wanda watched the man intently, seeing his bizarre behavior as well. "You mean Natasha Romanoff? The Black Widow? You're teammate."

Zawadi considered this, taking in all the information about the woman who didn't like him, "Yeah, Mean Lady."

Sam stared at Steve in disbelief, trying to understand why he was acting so off, "You sure you're alright-"

"Honey, I'm home!" Kayla called from the other room as Zawadi's mouth opened in an excited smile. Wanda and Sam watched him curiously as he moved to the other room. They could see through the door that he had picked Kayla up easily before setting her back down.

"I've missed you." He leaned in and kissed her, eliciting a growl from Steve. "I feel like you've been gone forever!"

Kayla looked at the clock by the bed, "It's only been forty-five minutes..."

"Please don't leave again. I want to stay with you." Zawadi exclaimed, grabbing her hands in his. "I've been hanging out with Bird Man and Wanda."

"Why does he keep calling me Bird Man?" Sam wondered aloud, arms crossed as he watched Steve and Kayla approach. He noticed the dog's back was ridged as he followed Steve. It was strange, the dog was never uncomfortable around Steve. But Kayla didn't seem to worried about his behavior, and she knew him best. "Steve, why don't you and Wanda head downstairs and pick up some food for us? Kayla just got back," Sam suggested, and 'Steve' glowered at him.

"Why don't you go instead?" He snarled, placing his large hands on his hips defiantly. Steve took note of this, seeing his own mannerisms blossoming in Zawadi.

Kayla put up a hand to Steve's chest, keeping him from getting to Sam, "I did just get back. Let me stay with Sam and make sure he's okay. Go get food with Wanda."

"I said, I don't want to leave you." He repeated, this time to her, but he never took his eyes off of Sam. Bird Man was trying to take him away from Mommy.

Kayla cupped his face gently and kissed his lips, "Sometimes you have to leave, and that's okay. Please, I'll be right here when you return."

Zawadi finally nodded, showing his teeth to Sam as he followed Wanda out the hotel room door. Once it was closed, Sam turned to Kayla and grabbed her arms, "Are you alright? Steve's acting very strange."

"I think he's still fighting off the mind control gas. But he's been a perfect gentleman. Doting. Loyal. Passionate. All the things Steve normally is." Steve the dog looked between Kayla and Sam, her words ringing in his ears.

_My own wife can't tell the difference between me and her dog because we have the same personality._

Sam shook his head, not believing her account of his behavior, "He's still acting really strange Kay. Something is off. When we go after Nat, we'll need to ask the woman behind all this if there are any side effects to the gas."

"He's still my husband. No matter what he acts like, he's still the man I married." Kayla defended, crossing her arms, but Steve's heart began to plummet. She wasn't even going to acknowledge that he was acting weird because she'd take him in any mindset, in any form. It was a beautiful sentiment, but it was going to keep her from realizing that _Steve was her dog._

"He is your husband. Just... keep an eye on him. He's acting super weird. He called Natasha Mean Lady." Sam informed, and Kayla choked back a laugh.

She pressed her fingers against her chest as she caught her breath, "Well, that's strange, I'll give you that. He'll be fine. Just give him a few hours, maybe a day or two. He'll be back to his normal fighting self in no time, I assure you."

Steve couldn't listen to this anymore. He walked back into Kayla's hotel room and jumped onto the bed, snuggling up into a ball. He'd be a dog forever at this rate. And that terrified him because he didn't know what he'd become if he never got his body back.

Every moment that he spent in Zawadi's body, the dog's instincts threatened to overtake him. Just like Zawadi placed his hands on his hips like Steve always did, Steve couldn't control his urge to rest against Kayla's thigh like Zawadi always did. Steve was beginning to worry that if they didn't change back soon, Zawadi would fully accept that he's a human, and Steve would lose whatever humanity he had left.


	13. Week 39: Part 3

Zawadi rested on the bed beside Kayla for the next several hours while Sam worked hard on finding leads to Natasha. Zawadi stroked Kayla's hair the way he'd seen Steve do it, memorizing the way her strands felt between his fingers. He memorized every gentle curve of her face as she gazed at him. She seemed so content, and Zawadi knew that she was happy. He could see it on her face. He'd never let 'Steve' hurt her ever again.

Much like Steve had realized his fading humanity earlier, Zawadi could feel his human brain overtaking him. Gone were his instincts to alert his family of danger or to come when Kayla clicked her tongue. The sound of the birds or the footsteps outside the hotel room door did nothing to him now. He was zeroed in on every sound, every sight, every smell, but he could _choose_ which of those senses to act upon. His sense of touch was driving him wild as Kayla rested beside him, gazing up at him lovingly as she moved her calf back and forth along his inner thigh.

Yesterday, he would have reacted to the sensation quite differently. His excitement would have led to uncontrollable urges that he would suppress because Kayla told him _no_. But now, here she was, a master seductress, trying to get him to mate with her. The fine line between what he wanted and what he knew was wrong was becoming blurred with every movement she made against him. He half expected Steve to jump onto the bed and stop her from touching him so intimately, but Zawadi hadn't realized Kayla had sent the dog into the other room to lay by the door and whimper, praying that Zawadi wouldn't make love to his wife.

"Kay..." Zawadi said, catching the way he hadn't tried to say her nickname, it just came out. His lips were too familiar with it, and not even the dog's brain could change her name in that moment. "I love you so much, I really do..."

"Then why are you pushing me away? Have sex with me." She growled deeply into the shell of his ear as she flipped herself on top of him, hovering over him on all fours. She pulled off her tanktop with one hand, her cleavage spilling out of her bra as she lowered herself onto his chest, "Please."

"I-I can't." Zawadi stammered, dread overtaking his lust. He couldn't do this. He just couldn't do this to Steve.

But Kayla's eyes were watering, she was desperate for his affection, "Why not? Why don't you want to-"

"Please don't cry. Please..." Zawadi looked around quickly, trying to figure out what to do. How to make her happy. He always knew how to make her happy. He would just show up and lick her and she'd smile. Well, sometimes she'd cry into him for a while, but he always made her feel _better. _This was the first time she'd cried over him.

It wouldn't be the last.

Kayla pushed herself away from the large man, finding her footing and grabbing her tank top, pulling it back on roughly, "I just don't understand. I don't understand why you are rejecting me all of a sudden. What happened to you yesterday?"

It was time. He had to tell her. He had to tell her why he couldn't make her happy because her mate was a dog and her dog just couldn't betray his master. "I-Kayla, I need to tell you-"

Sam burst in through the connecting doors, allowing Steve to enter the room and sprint to Kayla. He immediately saw her tears, having heard the quiet conversation through the door. He jumped up to lick the salty tears from her eyes as she tried to wipe them away, shielding her sadness from Sam. "What is it, Sam?"

"I've got a hit on Nat. Downtown. We'll have to move quickly." He turned to Zawadi, who was staring at Kayla wishfully, "Suit up Cap. We've got to go." Sam closed the door quickly, leaving the three in the room to prepare.

"I..." Zawadi tried to continue his explanation, but Kayla cut him off, not wanting to hear it.

"Get dressed, Steve. You've got a job to do." Kayla scooped down and picked up his tattered uniform before throwing it at the man. His fingers felt the fabric as his blue eyes scanned it. Kayla moved to the bed, sitting down on it and pulling her hair out of her bun to brush it. Steve jumped up on the bed and laid beside her, acting as a barrier between her and the man who had hurt her.

Zawadi studied the fabric of the Captain America uniform as he sat on the edge of the bed. He hadn't realized that's what it was when he wore it the night before. He always thought it was more colorful, but now that he saw colors, he could see it was dark and tattered. He looked around the room for what he knew Daddy used to fight bad guys with. "Where's the frisbee?"

Steve looked up curiously at Zawadi's words, his ears perked up. Kayla just rolled her eyes, pulling the covers of the bed over her thin tank top. "You mean your shield?"

"Yeah, where is it? I need it to... to fight." Zawadi suddenly realized that Bird Man and Wanda were counting on him to lead them in their rescue of Mean Lady. To stop the bad guy who made Daddy hurt Kayla. He had a responsibility to them. But he had a duty to Kayla. His heart ripped like the fabric of the uniform he gingerly put on, staring at the floor as he pulled it over his boxers and undershirt. Once it was secured, he fiddled with the old boots until his fingers took over and buckled them easily, the human part of his brain already knowing how to latch them. He stared at his own reflection in the mirror, not noticing that Kayla hadn't answered his question about the shield. He took in the blue of his eyes, the way there was the slightest patch of green like Kayla's. His strong jaw was set as he pushed back his long hair, not liking the way it felt as much as he liked Kayla's.

Kayla's eyes softened as he turned to her, whispering, "I don't want to go."

She opened her mouth to speak, but Sam knocked on the door, and Zawadi answered it with a sigh. "It's time to go Cap." Zawadi turned back to Kayla and gave her a pleading glance, begging her to tell him to stay. She didn't though, so he hung his head shamefully and followed Sam out the door.

Once the door latched, Kayla's jaw continued to quiver from his hesitation. Steve looked up at her, his canine eyes denying him the sight of her full beauty. He sat up and looked at her, waiting for her to speak, or move, or do something.

After a moment, she flung herself against the dog and wept openly against his brown fur, "He- he never looks at me like that anymore. He- he always... go-goes and doesn't look back." She cried, holding the dog a little too tight, but Steve didn't even notice. Her words cut him like a knife. "I haven't seen this side of him in so long. He- he's rejecting me, but-but he doesn't want to leave me? I-I don't understand. He always puts the mission first. Always."

_Always._

That word crushed Steve's heard in his chest. He wanted to howl out in sadness and weep alongside her. Was that really what she thought of him? That cleaning up the mess the Avengers made was more important than her?... Had he made it more important than her?

Kayla wiped her snot on her bare arm and then pulled the dog backward onto her chest as she laid down. Steve scrambled to move to her side so he didn't' crush her, but she wouldn't let him move, holding him in a death grip. "I think he's falling out of love with me. I think that's why he won't have sex with me. He doesn't want to anymore... but... but then why would he look so sad to leave? I don't understand what's wrong with him Zaddi. I want my Steve back."

Steve nuzzled against Kayla, stretching out his body so he was almost as long as she was. He pressed his snout against her cheek, catching the tears on his nose as she slipped from her left eye. A low whimper escaped his throat, wanting to tell her that he was there, and he wasn't going to leave her again.

_I love you Kay. I could never stop loving you. You just don't understand. He's not me..._

There is was again, that pang in the back of Steve's mind that told him nothing else mattered but her. It was something he knew as a human, that she was his wife and the woman he loved. But as a dog, he couldn't escape it, undying devotion to her. And it felt _wrong. _It felt wrong that he could put her above the good of everybody. Her before everyone else in the whole world. He loved her so much... but... he couldn't do it...

Or could he?

As Kayla sobbed into Steve's fur, he was once again faced with the idea that he may never be human again. He may never stand on two legs and fight for what's right again. What a perfect ending to Captain America. So loyal to his cause and his country that he would sacrifice everything, even the heart the woman he loved. And karma came back for him. He'd spend the rest of his short life living for the woman he'd neglected, and everything he fought for would disappear. He'd have no happy ending. Either Zawadi would break her heart or give in to her desires and Steve would be forced to witness his wife have everything she deserved: someone who was loyal to her and her alone.

Steve imagined never kissing Kayla again. Never hugging Sam or laughing with Natasha. He imagined never making love to his wife again and never having children. And worse yet, he imagined Zawadi doing all of those things, disguised as him. Ending the fight. Taking Kayla home. Giving her a life and a family and Steve would watch as the children that were meant to be his were raised by his fucking dog.

_I have to fix this. I have to fix this now. _

Steve began to whine and tug on the light fabric of Kayla's shirt, bringing her back to reality from her tears. "What is it Zaddi?" She croaked, her voice hoarse from crying. He tightened his grip on her and pulled her harder, causing her to stand up. "Stop, you're gonna rip it." She cried, swatting at the dog lightly. She wasn't in the mood for Zawadi's games.

But Steve was determined. If Zawadi wasn't going to tell her the truth, he was. Somehow. He had to figure out something. He jumped from the bed and looked around the room for something of his. Something only he would know the significance of. He moved to the suitcase, pulling it open with his jaws.

"What are you doing?" Kayla asked, her temper beginning to flare up. Her husband was acting weird and so was her dog.

Steve dug his nose through the clothes, looking for something significant until he finally felt the silky fabric of one of her bathrobes. He pulled it out gently, knowing she'd kill him then and there if he ripped it. It worked as planned, Kayla stormed toward him, her voice raising, "Let that go Zaddi. Do not rip it. Please, drop it." Her lip quivered at the sight of the white bathrobe. She'd only worn it once: thirty-nine weeks ago. Their wedding night. It was too precious to just wear about, but she liked to travel with it, to have it close. Steve knew this, which is why he chose the garment to get her attention. It reminded her of him.

"Zawadi, please, hand it over." She asked gently, her voice shaking as the dog held his grip onto the nightgown. He walked over to her, nightgown still in his lips, and stood on his hind lights with his front paws on her shoulder. "Zaddi-"

The dog stretched as far as he could, tilting his head down so he could press his forehead to hers. He held it there for a moment, trying to stay steady on his hind legs as he held is face to Kayla's. He felt her hand tenderly grab his back, holding him up against her. "Steve?" She gasped quietly, finally understanding why the dog had been acting so strange. She slowly lowered herself onto the bed and Steve jumped back down, lightly placing the bathrobe next to Kayla. She grabbed it and held it tightly as she watched the chestnut dog in front of her, her eyes beginning to well up with tears, "Steve? Is it you?" He placed his front legs on the bed and licked her across the mouth before placing his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, her mind spinning, "How is this possible? If you are here, then that means-"

Steve barked loudly toward the door, signaling that her dog was leading the fight against a madwoman with mind control gas. It explained why he didn't want to leave. Why he was so possessive. Why he wouldn't have sex with her...

"You heard everything I said," Kayla uttered quietly, drawing away from Steve. "I-I'm sorry Steve. I guess I've just become accustomed to letting you fight and crying to my dog." She chuckled, but there was no humor in her voice. It wasn't a one-time thing. She did this often.

_That's why Zawadi kept saying I'd never hurt her again. He wasn't talking about the fight at the window. He was talking about all the emotional pain I've caused Kay._

"I love you. I want you back. I'll do anything. Hell, I'd trade places with you if it meant you being human again." She laughed, this time a teasing smile on her face. "We have to help the others, they think Zawadi is Captain America, they'll follow him anywhere. We have to save them." Kayla stood, and Steve barked up at her, running circles around her bare legs. He fought back the strong desire to hump her leg, her knowing he was her husband made him even more desperate to make love to her... But not as a dog. He needed to switch back with Zawadi first.

She pulled a small gun from their suitcase and shoved it in the back of her shorts, pulling her loose tank top down over it. Then she clicked and Steve followed, but she stopped at the door and looked down at him, "Sorry honey. Force of habit."

_It's fine. I respond to it now too._

* * *

"Cap, what the hell are you doing?" Sam asked as Zawadi grabbed Natasha around the neck and held her tightly. Wanda's hands glowed red as she finished freeing Nat's mind from the gas.

"Steve, you're... choking me..." Natasha gasped and Wanda finally intervened and used her magic to pull his strong arms away from Nat. "Thanks a lot, Rogers." She choked, her hand holding her neck.

Zawadi turned back to Wanda, snarling, "Why did you do that? I thought we had to capture the Mean Lady?"

"Mean Lady?" Natasha asked, and Sam just shrugged.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out, and the four ducked behind boxes at the old storage facility downtown. "She's really angry." Sam explained blandly, knowing that was clear.

"What... are those things?" Zawadi asked nervously, not knowing what to do. "Where is my frisbee?"

"Your shield? You gave it back to Stark, remember. You haven't had it in months? I don't care what your wife says about you, you are freaking nuts right now!" Sam lifted his torso above the box to fire two-handed shots at the woman with the machine gun. "Nat, you have any ideas?"

"She didn't give me much to do after I left you guys. I know nothing. The gas is stored in these creates though, so we can't let her blow them up, or else everyone will be victim to it." Natasha explained, reloading her gun. "What do you think Cap?"

"I- I don't know," Zawadi answered, terror held in his blue eyes. It was a look the team hadn't seen on Captain America before, so Wanda took matters into her own hands. She twisted her fingers behind the blonde soldier's head, looking into his thoughts.

"Oh my God..." She said as she pulled away from the man, looking him in the face, "You're-"

Deep barking was heard from overhead, and the gunshots stopped momentarily as the woman was distracted by the large animal that attacked her. Wanda looked up to see the dog pummeling their enemy to the ground. Knowing who the dog really was, she flew towards them, against the warning calls of Sam and Natasha. The woman had lost her grip on the machine gun she used against the Avengers but pulled out a small gun from her pocket to aim at the dog. Wanda tried to shield Steve with her magic, but the shot rang out. Steve stumbled backward, the sound hurting his sensitive ears.

Wandan looked from the Rhodesian Ridgeback to the woman who almost pulled the trigger, but the woman they were chasing had a bullet in her skull. She would be giving them no more information on her gas. But that was of little consequence to the woman who shot her.

Sam, Natasha, and Zawadi looked up from their hiding place to see Kayla standing behind the body, her gun still smoking. She stepped over the corpse and fell to her knees, rubbing her dog's face gently. Falcon spread his wings to join her and Wanda, staring at her in disbelief. "You shot a woman to protect your dog? We needed her. You could have shot her anywhere but the head-"

"Kayla shot her to protect her husband." Wanda interrupted, kneeling beside Kayla to press a gentle hand against Steve's skull. After a moment she spoke again, quieter this time, "I did this, didn't I?"

"Not on purpose. But I'd very much like to have my husband back in his own body if possible." Kayla asked sweetly as she tugged on Steve's ears.

"Wait, did I hear that right? This- this is Cap? Then who have we been- Oh." Sam said, looking at Natasha and Zawadi as the climbed the ladder to the upper level they stood on. Zawadi ran straight to Kayla, bulldozing her to the ground with his sheer force, but holding her tightly so he wouldn't hurt her.

"I was- I was so scared. There were these things that kept coming at us, and they were really loud and scary, and I've heard them before, but they've never been aimed at me." He whimpered against Kayla's chest, any charade of trying to act like Steve Rogers gone in the wake of his impending death. Sam casually pulled out his cell phone and took a photo of the soldier sobbing against his wife's chest while pinning her to the ground.

Kayla stroked his face gently, lifting his jaw to see his eyes, "Zaddi?" She asked sternly, and his face paled at her realization. "Did you know that Daddy was a dog?"

Zawadi pushed himself off of her quickly, easily jumping to his feet. He brushed off his uniform instinctively, then rubbed his hand against the back of his neck, "Maybe. Yes. Yes I did. But he hurt you. I had to protect you. Also, I tried to tell you. When you were sad before we had to leave. I wanted to make you feel better, but you were so sad... I want to make you happy. I'll do anything."

"Will you be a dog again? So that Mommy and Daddy can be together. I love you very much Zawadi, but Steve is my husband. I need him to be a human again." Kayla explained slowly, needing her dog to understand this was best.

Zawadi hung his head shamefully, kicking against the metal platform they stood on, "He's your mate. I don't have a mate. I only have you. It was nice to have you love me as much as I love you."

"I love you terribly much Zawadi, but you're right, Steve is my mate. I need him back. Please." Kayla asked, grabbing his shoulder supportively, "I'll get you your own mate. Then you won't be alone. Now that you know the difference..."

Zawadi leaned down and kissed Kayla on the cheek, "I'd like that a lot." He turned to the others, a goofy smile on his face as his mouth hung open happily, "Thanks for the adventure Bird Man! Mean Lady. Wanda."

Sam laughed as Natasha crossed her arms, seeing how the dog really felt about her. Kayla sat on the ground next to Steve, petting his head lovingly as she gazed at him. Zawadi sat next to her, running his fingers through her long hair one last time, taking in how beautiful she was.

Maybe he had been a human too long. He was starting to love her differently. Or maybe Steve's body was so in tune to hers that it would love her no matter who inhabited it. The dog would never know.

Wanda knelt down with the trio, red magic swirling on her fingers as she carefully touched the dog's head and then pulled the red wisp toward the blonde soldier before repeating the motion. Once she was done, Steve fell back onto his hands, feeling the cold metal against his fingers. He turned to Kayla, who was still stroking Zawadi's head as he began to stir.

"Kay." Steve said quietly, and she turned to him, tears in her eyes. She leaned over and kissed him, her hand never leaving her dog. "Kay, I love you so much. I can't begin to describe how it feels to be able to tell you, to show you." He pulled her face toward his, kissing her sweetly again. Her hand finally left Zawadi to hold Steve's face as he kissed her, fully engaged in the moment. Zawadi panted happily next to them for a moment before interfering in their moment by giving Kayla a long sloppy kiss on the cheek. She laughed and kissed his nose while Steve stroked his head. "You're a good boy Zawadi."

The dog barked loudly and Sam helped Steve to his feet while Kayla stood and hugged Natasha and Wanda. Then Steve looked over his shoulder at the body behind them. His jubilant mood soured at what had transpired, but he wasn't surprised. Kayla had killed for him before, and she'd kill for him again.

It was only a matter of time.


	14. Week 63

Author's Note: Thank you for the review Siobhan! Yeah, it was kind of weird. The idea came from an old fan fiction that I loved back in 2012 where Steve becomes a dog. I loved the idea of Zawadi being Kayla's confidante, and finally being able to 'protect' her from Steve. 

Kayla groaned as she stretched in her coach airplane seat. It had been many years since she'd flown coach, and she couldn't say she missed it. The plane ride was bumpy, the large vessel not able to pierce through the clouds the way the quinjet did. But Kayla wasn't flying with her team this time.

It was a social trip back to the States, and she was alone.

Once the plane landed, she stood and waited patiently for the older man in the aisle seat to move so she could pull down her carry on backpack. Once free from the confines of 32B, Kayla trotted out of the plane and made her way into the terminal of the LaGuardia airport. She looked at her watch, seeing she'd be waiting another hour before Wanda's flight from Scotland landed. Kayla surveyed the area, finding a brewery where she could sip her sorrows away until the Scarlet Witch arrived.

Time moved slowly as Kayla waited, watching the news. Tony Stark was making preparations for his wedding to Pepper Potts, the date set only a year out now. The blonde super soldier scoffed at the list of extravagant rumors swirling about the wedding. She wondered if a year from now Tony and Steve would work out their differences. Perhaps she'd even be invited.

"You look terrible." Wanda's accent had faded a bit, but her voice was still unmistakable to Kayla as she nursed her seventh beer. "Long flight?" Wanda asked when Kayla turned around in her barstool to face her.

Kayla slid off the seat and enveloped the redhead in a fond hug, "Naw. Just bored. Waiting for you. How was your flight?"

"Next time I'll see if I can fly myself." Wanda chuckled deeply, her voice barely above a whisper. "But seriously, how are you doing? How is everything with..."

"It's fine. Steve's busy. I've been distancing myself a bit. After the whole Zawadi incident, he was better for a while. He was very doting. It didn't last more than a few months though. The terrorist attack in Hong Kong really hit him hard. He hasn't really been the same since." Kayla reached back and grabbed her beer, tipping it all the way back to finish it in a single gulp.

Wanda nodded thoughtfully, her face grim. "I'm sorry Kay. I'm sure he'll come back around. Almost halfway there now."

Kayla shrugged, tossing a wad of bills onto the counter for the bartender, "I knew who he was when I married him. It's just being a war criminal isn't adventurous, it's torturous. But enough about me."

"Let's get going, we need time to check in before we meet up with Vis." Wanda interjected, trying to lighten the subject. Kayla enjoyed hearing about her escapades with the android, even if she didn't exactly understand how the couple worked.

"Vis huh? Nicknames. About time." Kayla teased, bumping into Wanda a little too hard, causing the psychic to fall off balance and trip, catching herself on the wall nearby. Kayla winced, seeing what she'd done, "Sorry."

"It's fine. And yes. Vis. We're meeting him at six o'clock." Wanda pulled out her cell phone, checking for any new messages since her flight. Her face fell as she read through the texts. "He's not coming."

"What do you mean he's not coming?" Kayla asked, grabbing the phone away from Wanda. "He said he has a meeting with Stark tonight, but he'll meet up with us tomorrow. It's inconvenient, but not the end of the world." Kayla tried to explain as she handed the phone back to Wanda.

"It's the first time I've been able to see him here in New York. I should have known something would come up." She explained sadly, fearing he wouldn't be joining them at all.

Kayla grabbed onto Wanda's rolling back and hiked her own backpack up onto her shoulder with her free hand. "He'll be back tomorrow. Don't you worry about a thing. At least you aren't alone."

"You sure it's safe to be in the city? What if someone recognizes us?" Wanda asked as Kayla moved swiftly through the crowd, the sound of her clunky heeled boots tapping as she went.

"Of course it's safe. You've got me, remember? Everything is going to be just fine."

As they were walking, yellow sparks began to form around Wanda's feet, quickly catching the girls' attention. Before either of them could react though, they both disappeared into a hole in the concrete, landing harshly against the dark floors of a different building.

"What the hell was that?" Kayla spat as she sat up, looking around, "Where are we?" Wanda moved closer to Kayla, leaning on the girl for protection as her hands began to twitch, red magic swirling around her fingertips.

Kayla looked around, seeing a large staircase to her right, and began to stand as she saw a figure at the top of the steps. "Get behind me, Wanda." She ordered as she pulled Wanda quickly to her feet. She obeyed, but the red in her eyes said she was more than ready to fight for herself.

"What are you doing in New York? And what kind of power do you possess?" The man asked as he floated down the stairs, his red cape moving behind him.

Kayla shielded Wanda from the man, seeing she was his target, "That's none of your concern. Why have you brought us here?" She answered with her a question of her own as the man's face came into the light.

He smiled coyly, taking in her response with a tilt of his head, "I'm sorry, did we get off on the wrong foot? Let's try this. I'm Doctor Strange, and I'm in charge of protecting the New York Sanctum. Your friend, Wanda Maximoff, is a threat. And she's in New York. Why?"

"How do you know my name?" Wanda hissed, moving around Kayla, who grabbed her and held her by the arms.

"I know lots of things but I want to know why you are here." Doctor Strange repeated, ignoring her question. "Who's your friend? You seem attached. She should sit this one out, let the adults talk." Suddenly Kayla found herself gagged and strapped to a chair. She glared up at the wizard and easily ripped off the restraints while Wanda watched him smugly.

"That was rude sir," Kayla responded as she stood, yanking the gag out of her mouth. "You don't seem to know who I am."

Doctor Strange eyed the blonde suspiciously, surprised at her strength. His method of getting Wanda to talk hadn't worked out as well as he'd planned, as he hadn't forseen the woman being strong enough to break his bindings. It led him to question why he _didn't_ know her. "No. I can't say that I do. You look a little familiar though."

"I get that a lot." Kayla snapped easily, placing her hands on her hips and raising her chin to the man, her long hair falling around her shoulders, "My husband and his allies like to keep it that way."

"Do I know your husband?" He spoke again, moving closer to Kayla.

Kayla just smiled wickedly back, "Yes. But I don't believe personally. He would have most certainly mentioned you. Now, if you don't mind. We'd like to be going now. We are here on holiday. Seeing the sights. We aren't here to cause any trouble." Kayla lowered her face to stare into Strange's eyes, her gaze more threatening than any words could have been.

"Is your husband here?" He asked, trying to place where this woman fit in. "I really just need to make sure that the, what do they call you, Scarlet Witch, isn't going to be a problem."

Kayla took a step closer, effectively working as a barrier between the Doctor and her friend. "She won't be. But if you don't let us leave, I will be." Kayla turned to leave, looking curiously at Wanda as she stared at this Doctor Strange man. Her eyes shimmered red, she was reading something off of him. "And to answer your other question, no, my husband isn't here. It's a girls weekend. I needed some time away." Kayla finished sadly, hanging her head at the admission. She didn't look back at the sorcerer as she spoke, unwilling to let him see the pain her face.

"Kay," Wanda grabbed her arm, holding her tight. Kayla met her friend's eyes, now their normal color, "He has a stone."

This caused Kayla to turn around and take a long look at the man again. He had heard Wanda's quiet gasp, and his eyes narrowed in on the girls. "You know about Infinity Stones?"

"My powers come from the Mind Stone," Wanda growled, once again on the defensive.

Doctor Strange looked to the ground at his left, taking in her answer. "Fascinating. Well, now I really can't let you go, because you are a much bigger threat than I thought you were."

"We could say the same about you, Doctor. What stone do you possess?" Kayla asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Doctor Strange opened the amulet around his neck, revealing a glowing green, "The Eye of Agamotto houses the Time Stone. That's all the information you'll get from me." The man struck out and entrapped Wanda in a lasso of golden magic, but Kayla leaped forward, double kicking him backward and allowing Wanda to break free.

Her own red wisps grew around her fingers as she blasted back at Strange, but he simply floated away, leaving a hole in the staircase behind him. "I'd rather you not destroy my Sanctum, thank you very much." He barked back, using a rope to tie up Wanda and hold her hands at bay.

"Awww, are we hurting your house? Let's us out of it." Kayla roared as she went to punch Strange again, but he simply flicked his wrist and she flew away, crashing hard into one of his bookshelves. "Oh, that's how you want to fight. You couldn't beat me without your magic. Of that I'm sure."

"Perhaps not. I'm not going to try and find out." Strange didn't take her dare, instead wrapping her up in the same rope that currently held Wanda. "I don't want any trouble, I just need to talk to her. You can go."

"Not without her." Kayla hissed, once again ripping her binds to jump toward Strange. He allowed her to get close, taking in her strong arms and calf muscles that flexed under her skinny jeans. She reached out and grabbed at the Eye, but he quickly created a green portal and pushed her through it.

Wanda's mouth hung open as the portal disappeared, and Kayla was gone. Strange turned to the redhead, who seemed much more likely to cooperate than her companion, "Now, where were we?"

"Where is she?" Wanda sneered, twisting her fingers to unwrap the ropes that held her, but Doctor Strange froze her and everything around her for a brief moment, using the Time Stone to his advantage. He stared at the frozen Maximoff, then looked over his shoulder before admitting, "I don't actually know."

He released Wanda from her bindings and moved both of them to sit in large comfy chairs. "I don't want to hurt you, I just want to understand you. You are a human, but you possess such power."

"I could say the same for you." Wanda spat, settling in as she couldn't leave until the sorcerer brought Kayla back. "I'll make you a deal, I'll tell you what I know about the Mind Stone, and you bring back my friend?"

"I don't need to know about Infinity Stones, I have one around my neck, what I need to know is why do you have the magic of one without having the physical stone." Doctor Strange bartered. Before he sat back in his chair, he motioned for his cloak to leave him, and it fluttered off, allowing him to recline into the chair. "I'll admit, I wasn't planning on sending your friend away, I panicked when she went after the Time Stone. We'll have to wait and see where she resurfaces before I can collect her."

"Wait and see? How will we know?" Wanda grunted, her jaw set tightly.

Doctor Strange didn't contain the fear on his face when he answered the girl's question, "Because wherever she wound up, she'll end up changing the course of history."

"Kayla does that wherever she goes. She's dynamic. She's strong. Outspoken. You mean to tell me she's somewhere in the past?" Wanda questioned, finding a cup of tea in her hand. She eyed it cautiously, then sipped it, trusting the Doctor. He was the only one who could bring Kayla back now.

"Where does her strength come from? I was wondering about it when I created the portal."

Wanda watched him carefully, deciding how much to divulge. "Doctor Abraham Erskine."


	15. Week 63: Part 2

One minute Kayla was reaching for the Time Stone, and the next she was on a city block. She looked to her side, an old building with a plaque reading 177A Bleeker St. Was that the building she came from?

"Doctor Strange, let me in!" She pounded her body against the door, yelling through it. As she pounded, a woman dressed in a knee-length black skirt and white blouse opened the door.

Kayla took a step back, thrown off by the woman's appearance. The brunette eyed Kayla, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "Can I help you, Miss?"

"Is, uh, Doctor Strange home?" Kayla asked weakly, taking in the woman's tight pin curls and the way she wore stockings under her skirt.

The brunette shook her head slowly, never taking her eyes off of the strange blonde. "No, I believe you have the wrong residence... Might I add, you are dressed quite funny. Are you in a show?"

"No. I'm... dressed funny?" Kayla looked down at her skinny jeans, black heeled boots that sat just about her ankle, and the gray sweatshirt she was wearing. She was quite fashionable as far as she was concerned, and didn't understand why this oddly dressed woman thought she was wearing a costume.

The brunette scoffed, "It's not right for a woman to wear pants like that. So tight. How inappropriate. I think you should move along." As she started to close the door, Kayla caught it, holding it open easily which earned her a nervous look from the woman inside.

"Where am I?" Kayla croaked, not sure what to make of this conversation. It was getting late, and she needed to find Wanda and deal with the angry wizard and she was hungry.

"New York honey. Bleeker Street. Where do you think you are?"

Kayla considered this for a moment, "New York for sure, but everything looks weird. More... grey..." She looked over her shoulder, seeing the vintage cars pass as they honked loudly.

The Time Stone.

"What year is it?" Kayla asked nervously, her grip on the door loosening, giving the woman a chance to kick her out.

"1943 dear. And if you don't get off my steps, I'm calling the cops." She slammed the door hard in Kayla's face, and the blonde stumbled backward, almost falling down the concrete steps leading to the front door. Kayla swung around, seeing the world around her with devastating clarity. She was a woman in 1940s Manhattan. And she had no way home.

"Thank Kayla, think." She muttered to herself as she began to move down the street.

"Momma why is that lady dressed so funny?" A child asked as she passed, seeing the little blonde boy in a newsie cap holding his mother's hand.

Kayla swallowed as she nodded, giving her best smile as she continued forward. "Clothes. I need new clothes. I don't know how long I'll be stuck here so I need to fit in." She saw a boutique across the street and scurried across the sidewalk, ignoring the stares of the locals.

When she opened the old wooden door, a bell went off inside the store, alerting the owner of her presence. Kayla looked around nervously at the clothes. Everything was very bland, creams and browns. Even her skinny jeans were more bright than what the store held.

"Can I help... you?" A saleswoman asked slowly as she took in Kayla's appearance, seeing her dressed very strangely.

"Hi!" Kayla yelped a little too excitedly, "I need a new outfit. This is, uh, drawing more attention than I had anticipated. I'm from out of town." Kayla explained wide-eyed. She smiled brightly, but it was too forced and the saleswoman backed away a little.

"I can see why." She mumbled, looking Kayla up and down again. "Anything, in particular, you are looking for?"

"Whatever this can buy me." Kayla pulled out a twenty dollar bill from her pocket and the woman's eyes became saucers. Right. Inflation.

The woman's attitude changed immediately at the sight of all the money, a real smile spreading across her classic features, "Well you must be a millionaire! Come, let's have a look at some options for you."

The woman led Kayla to a rack with a few options. It was now that Kayla realized the store was mostly empty of merchandise. The saleswoman caught her glances, explaining quickly while pulling out a brown pencil skirt, "The war effort is taking priority here in New York. There aren't a lot of options for classy women such as yourself because of the lack of materials. But I'm sure we can find something suitable."

"I'm really not picky." Kayla replied, a fake smile hiding her complete panic, "I was on the train for what felt like forever, I'm not even sure what day of the week it is!"

"It's Tuesday, May 4th." The red-lipped saleswoman answered, pulling out a matching brown blouse. "Would you prefer a skirt? Or a dress? Skirts are more common but you look like a woman who likes to stand out."

"I'm really fine with whatever," Kayla answered again, going through her memory of the date. May 4th, 1943. While researching Erskine she found records of Steve receiving the super soldier serum on June 22, which means he hadn't become Captain America yet.

_Which means nothing because I can't go to him. It'll unravel the very fabric of time._

Kayla was no expert at being thrown back in time, it was only the first time it had ever happened to her, but she knew better than to tell a twenty-four-year-old Steve Rogers that she was his future wife, and also had the super soldier serum he'd be receiving in a few weeks. No. That would not work. At all.

"What about this one?" The saleswoman excitedly held up a dark blue button-up dress with a pressed collar. Kayla took it in, loving the vintage feels of it, but it wasn't too loud. It wouldn't draw too much attention. It had a fabric tie to cinch her waist, and the sleeves were baggy enough to disguise how muscular her arms were.

"I love it. Here." Kayla shoved the money at the saleswoman, "Keep the change. Is there somewhere I can change into it?"

"There is a restroom down the hall, second door on the left. Are you sure you won't be needing anything else?" The saleswoman prodded eagerly, excited to be helping such a wealthy woman.

Kayla looked down at her tie up black booties, seeing they would compliment the dress fine enough and knowing she could run comfortably enough in them if she had to. "No, I think I'm quite alright, thank you! Although-" Kayla paused, looking around the store, "If you had a clutch, I'd love one of those too. Something to put my things in." Before Kayla could finish her sentence the woman handed Kayla a red strapless clutch. "That'll do," Kayla answered, pulling another five dollar bill out of her pocket and handing it to the woman. The saleswoman waved gleefully as Kayla wandered down the hall toward the bathroom to change.

Once the door was locked, Kayla turned to look in the mirror, seeing how completely out of place she looked. Her long hair was unkempt and her eye makeup was far too dark for the forties. She looked like a harlot. The only thing that seemed to fit the time period was Kayla's favorite red lipstick, which she wore _because _it reminded Steve of the forties.

Just because she was having marital issues didn't mean she didn't want to make her husband happy. But that was a completely different story.

Husband.

Kayla looked down at her wedding ring and wondered if being married and alone in New York would be an issue for her. She pulled off the owl pendant on her long silver necklace that sat over her sweater and shoved it in the pocket of the jeans she planned to discard. She gently pulled off her rings, the first time she'd taken them off since her wedding day, and put them onto the long chain before clasping it back onto her neck. Then she went to work stripping down to change into her dress and leave her modern fashion behind.

Once in the blue dress, Kayla went to work dabbing off her dark eyeshadow with a wet towel, trying to give her eyes a more natural look. Once she was satisfied enough, she began working on her hair. It wouldn't be strange to be blonde or have long hair, but her hair was tangled from fighting, and the messy look wouldn't fly in this day and age. So she gently raked her fingers through the strands before twisting her long mane into a bun at the back of her head.

She looked in the mirror one last time before nodding, taking a deep breath and throwing her old clothes in the garbage bin. She snuck out the back way, clutch in hand, not wanting to talk to the saleswoman anymore. Next on her list of to-dos was to figure out somewhere to sleep.

A hotel was an option, but she didn't have much money left and didn't know how long she'd be stuck here. She'd try to barter her way into a room, knowing she must have _some _sort of skills that could be applicable in the forties. Her figure alone caught the attention of those who passed her, as her tall stature was striking for a woman.

A low wolf whistle emitted from behind her as she passed by the outdoor patio of a cafe. "Hey dollface, looking for someone?"

Kayla slowly turned to face the dark haired man who was catcalling her. She took a step closer, eyeing him warily, but showing not fear, "Not someone. Something. I'm looking for a place to stay the night. So unless you run a hotel I suggest you mind your own business."

He wooped at her answer and stood from his table as she turned to leave, grabbing her arm as his buddies cheered him on, "I know somewhere you can sleep tonight. Comfy bed. Warm sheets. Good company..." He leaned into her cheek, and she simply put her hand to his face and pushed him away easily, undeterred by his advances.

"As I said, unless you've got something helpful to offer, please leave me alone. It's been a long day." Kayla's patience was growing thin, and her temper was starting to flare. She didn't appreciate being treated like a piece of meat surrounded by wolves.

The man only laughed at her frustration, grabbing her arm again as she got several more steps away. She yanked it out of his hand harshly, turning to face him, but he just stared at her, biting his tongue playfully, "You've got spunk. I'd love to see how you use that in other ways."

"Leave the lady alone. She clearly isn't interested."

Kayla's whole spine froze, allowing the man harassing her to tighten his grip by slinging his arm around her shoulders. She knew that voice anywhere. It was the voice that lulled her to sleep at night and woke her up gently when the sun rose. It made her heart flutter like butterflies trying to escape their cage. But she couldn't see him. Or, more importantly, he couldn't see _her._

But it was too late because the argument had caught the attention of one Steven Grant Rogers and he wasn't going to let the woman get harassed on his watch.

The brute turned his body to face Steve, taking Kayla with him. She gasped when she saw the man before her, her legs feeling weak as her knees buckled, threatening to take her to the ground in shock.

It was her Steve, but he didn't look like her Steve. He was at least six inches shorter, and couldn't have weighed more than one hundred pounds. His jaw was slim, and his arms were small but his hands were placed on his hips defiantly as they often were. Yup. That was Steve.

"What are you going to do about it punk?" The man asked, squeezing Kayla a little tighter. Steve put up his fists, and she couldn't imagine he was about to fight the man who had taunted her.

But it was Steve. Of course he was.

So Kayla decided the best thing she could do was to run. Subtlety be damned, she was getting herself out of this mess and getting far away from the man who became her husband. While the man holding Kayla was distracted with laughing at Steve, Kayla grabbed the arm that was holding her and quickly flung him over her shoulder as she knelt down. He hit the ground hard and Kayla rose straight into a run, her feet taking her far faster than they should have been able to.

Once she was sure neither Steve or anyone else could follow her, she slowed down and sat on the curb of an unknown street. She set her head into her hands, her elbows propped on her knees as she fought back tears. Kayla heaved, trying to stay calm, but the tears came anyway. She had nowhere to go, and nowhere to turn to. She was trapped in the past and had not the slightest clue as to how to get back to the future.

Kayla kept her silver watch when she threw out all her clothes, but she didn't bother to look at it as she sobbed on the curb, folding her arms to cry between them. Kayla could handle a lot. She had died. Become a super soldier. Fought evil robots. So much. She could handle _so much _but she had never been alone. Not truly.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Kayla stopped crying at the voice, her face raising from her arms to look up at Steve. "How the hell did you find me?"

He looked taken back by her words, taking a step back as he shoved his hands into his pockets, "I was worried about you. Also, this is the way home." Steve motioned down the street toward the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Sorry. I... thank you... for standing up for me. I appreciate it." It was then she noticed Steve had a bruise forming under his eye. He'd taken a punch after she left. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine. I've taken worse punches. And you didn't need me to stand up for you... you're... very strong." Steve stumbled, trying to talk to the woman before him.

Kayla smiled weakly, finding him adorable. It was hard to see Captain America in this man. He was so unsure of himself. She wanted to hug him.

"Well thank you anyway-" Kayla caught herself before she called him by his name because he hadn't introduced himself yet.

He caught her hesitation and filled in the blank, "Steve. Steve Rogers."

"Kay-t. I'm Kate." Kayla stuttered, remembering that _he couldn't know her._

The whole avoiding him thing hadn't worked out, but she could at least keep her identity a secret. There was no way he'd remember this random woman he met on the street once he was Captain America. After fighting a war. Meeting Peggy. Being frozen for seventy years. But Kayla couldn't chance it.

"Nice to meet you, Kate. Where are you off to? I heard something about looking for a place to stay. I'm sorry for eavesdropping." Steve shuffled his foot against the asphalt as Kayla looked up at him.

She shrugged, clutching her red purse a little tighter as the sun fell behind the buildings, "It was hard to ignore. But yes, I'm still looking for a place to stay-"

"Hey Punk! What are you doing way out here?" Another familiar voice called from down the road, accompanied by giggling. Kayla and Steve turned to see Bucky wandering up to them with a redhead on his arm.

_Oh, this just keeps getting worse._

Kayla's eyes practically bugged out of her head, a mixture of panic and curiosity competing in her soul as she watched the approaching brunette. She knew Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier, a towering monster of a man with a metal arm and lots of mental issues. But this man before her was young and carefree, enjoying a date night with a random woman in New York City. Much like Steve, Bucky was slim and shorter than Kayla remembered. She felt sad, knowing what his future held.

Kayla considered running, but she thought better of it. It was too late, they both saw her now. The only way to do damage control was to fix it face to face. To make sure she wasn't memorable.

"Hey, Buck. This is Kate. Some creep was harassing her..." Steve trailed off, seeing Bucky's eyes narrow in on his bruise.

Bucky nodded, crossing his arms, "Well I see you helped her."

"She can take care of herself." Steve defended, throwing Kayla an encouraging smile, but she didn't respond, she continued to stare straight ahead, very aware that the sun had set and now she had nowhere to sleep.

Kayla shook her head out of her daze, looking up to see Bucky and his date standing right in front of her. "Hi. I'm sorry. It's been a long day. I should be going."

"Where are you off to?" Bucky asked curiously, interested in this woman Steve had 'rescued'.

Kayla pulled her mouth tight, unsure if she should admit her lack of plans. This Bucky seemed like the type of man who would fix the situation in a way very similar to the man she'd encountered earlier. Before she could come up with some excuse, Steve blurted out, "She's looking for a place to stay."

Bucky gave Kayla a million dollar smile, earning a scowl from the woman he'd been with, "Well we can arrange something. I have a couch at my place, but I know Steve has lots of room." Bucky winked at Steve, and the motion wasn't as subtle as it should have been. Steve just stared at his friend stone-faced, not expecting him to offer up his place for the woman.

"I'm sure Kate wouldn't be very comfortable staying with a man she doesn't know," Steve growled through gritted teeth, causing Kayla to giggle. She didn't know what was funnier: Steve's nervousness for having her around or the fact he thought she would be uncomfortable around him. But it was an interesting point. Kayla was alone. It was late. She didn't know where to go.

What harm could one night do?

"I wouldn't want to impose," Kayla said quietly, standing up to stand beside Steve. Bucky stared at her with wide eyes as he took in her height, seeing she was as tall as he was. He closed his mouth and nodded, preparing to speak.

"It wouldn't be an imposition at all," Bucky answered, the redhead rolling her eyes and leaning away from him as he flashed a smile at Kayla. "I'll probably be late anyway. I'm still taking Dot out dancing." The girl seemed happy with his answer, seeing he was prioritizing her over the random floozy his dork friend had picked up.

Kayla's eyebrow rose, surprised at Bucky's forwardness. The man she knew barely spoke to, let alone flirted with her. "If it's all the same to you, I, uh, think I'll go with Steve. I don't want to ruin your date."

Both Bucky and Steve looked shocked at her words, but Dot looked happy with her answer, pressing herself tightly against Bucky's side. "Oh, okay, that's fine. Right, Steve?" Bucky stammered, placing a hand firmly on his friend's back.

"Uh, yeah. If she's fine with it. You can, uh, come with me." Steve turned redder than Kayla had ever seen him, and she smirked at his embarrassment as Bucky waved, turning and taking Dot away to go dancing.

Kayla walked alongside Steve as he led them back toward his Brooklyn apartment. They moved together in comfortable silence. Well, Kayla was comfortable, Steve was nervous at having the strange woman over at his house. He was beginning to regret coming to her aid earlier.

"So, how did a dame like you end up here alone?" Steve finally asked as he reached the apartment building he called home.

Kayla looked up at the run-down building, taking a breath before continuing, "It's a long story. I'm not from around here. Traveled a long way, and, I'm not quite sure how to get home. I may have to wait for my friends to collect me." Kayla admitted, meeting Steve's gaze as he gestured for her to head up the stairs. Once on the second floor, he moved to the second door and fiddled in his pocket for the key.

"Well, you are welcome to stay as long as you need to." Steve mumbled as he opened the door, allowing Kayla to enter his old apartment. She looked around, seeing a tattered couch being the only thing found in the sitting room connecting to the kitchen. Down a hall were two more rooms, one must be a bedroom and a bathroom.

"Is it just you here?" Kayla asked, already knowing the answer, but curious as to where Steve had slept when his mother was alive.

He nodded, looking around with his hands in his long brown pants, "Yeah. It used to be just me and Ma. She passed away several years ago. It's just me now."

Kayla placed a gentle hand on Steve's arm, and they both stiffened at the feeling. Steve wasn't prepared for the contact, as most women weren't so gentle. Kayla wasn't prepared for the feeling of his left arm under her strong hands. Everything felt wrong.

_I have to get home. Please find me._


	16. Week 63: Part 3

Steve led Kayla to the bedroom, where an old full sized bed sat by a dusty window. The sheets were tattered and the bed frame was beginning to fall apart, but it was a bed, and there was a roof over her head, and Kayla couldn't ask for much else.

"I know it's not much. I can get you a shirt to wear for bed if you'd like. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you." Steve said, moving to an old dresser to pull out a dress shirt for her to put on.

"Oh." Kayla said, taking the shirt, running her fingers over the worn fabric, "I'll take the couch. I don't want to take your bed."

"No. You'll sleep in here, I'll take the couch. What kind of man would I be to let a woman sleep out there while I'm comfortable in bed?" Steve backed away with his hands up, not allowing her to leave the bedroom.

As Steve closed the door, it took everything in Kayla not to ask him to stay with her. To sleep beside her, and hold her and protect her. Because even if he was scrawny and poor, this man was still her husband. And Kayla was feeling very, very alone.

She laid on her back on the hard mattress, staring up at the ceiling. She could hear the water running in the bathroom across the hall. Kayla would have given anything for her Steve to be there. Despite all the passive aggressive banter that they'd endured lately, and all the frowns they shot each other before going their separate ways, Kayla still loved Steve Rogers dearly. She missed him even more, knowing the man outside the door didn't have a clue what he meant to her.

* * *

"Hey Wanda, is Kay there?" Steve asked once the Maximoff girl answered her cellphone, turning away from Doctor Strange's prying eyes.

"Um, no, she's not. I mean, she is, she's with me, she's in the shower." Wanda lied, using her free hand to push her hair away.

There was a brief pause from the other end, "I just... wanted to make sure she got to New York safely. Tell her I called won't you?"

Wanda nodded, realizing he couldn't see her, but she heard the desperation in Steve's voice. From across the globe, Wanda could sense that Steve could feel the tension between him and his wife as much as Kayla did. Even though he was focused on the mission at hand, he wanted his wife to be happy. He just didn't know how to fix what was broken.

After Wanda hung up, she turned to Stephen. "That was her husband. He's worried about her."

"Well, maybe she'll think twice before trying to steal an Infinity Stone next time." He answered arms crossed as he watched the psychic, "Now, we need to get back to our search. Your friend will turn up sooner or later."

"How will we know when we find her?" Wanda asked, looking around the sanctum as she sat back down into her burgandy chair.

"Inevitably, assuming your boisterous friend doesn't hide under a rock, she'll cause a shift in the fabric of time. Then we'll be able to pinpoint where she is, and, assuming she isn't too stupid, fix anything she's changed."

* * *

Kayla stretched her arms as she began to stir from her sleep. She sat up, looking around, remembering where she was.

_Steve._

Kayla quietly moved from the bed to peek out the bedroom door, her thick legs sticking out the bottom of Steve's shirt she'd worn to bed. As she tiptoed barefoot through Steve's small apartment, she found the man sleeping on the couch soundly. His breathing was labored, more of a wheezing sound than anything. Kayla moved swiftly back into his bedroom and changed back into her blue dress and her black boots. Once she was dressed, she tucked her wedding ring into the collar of her dress for safekeeping.

"Take care, Steve," Kayla whispered as she snuck out the front door, closing it quietly as she did. Once outside, Kayla's heels pounded down the metal stairs leading to the ground below where she took off into an easy sprint, needing to put some space between her and Steve Rogers.

Once she was several blocks away, Kayla stood by the bank of the water, looking across to the other Burroughs of New York. She wasn't familiar with this area, haven't spent most of her time in D.C. or upstate New York. She'd need to find a more permanent place to stay while she figured out how to get home.

She wandered past a large warehouse with a handwritten sign in the window reading 'Help Wanted'. Kayla wasn't really in a place to be picky as jobs, and money in general would be hard to come by during the war.

When she entered the factory, she saw assembly lines of women putting together guns and sewing army uniforms. Kayla gulped, knowing she was suited for manual labor more than anything, but not really wanting to do it.

"Hi. I see you are looking for help?" Kayla approached a man wearing a suit jacket smoking a cigar.

When he turned to see the beautiful blonde, his eyes lit up as the corner of his mouth twisted into a smile, "Why yes, we are. But you, my dear, are too beautiful to be working in an assembly line."

"I'm very strong." Kayla countered, ignoring his compliment. "I'm good with my hands. I like to tinker with stuff. I just need money for a place to live and to put food on the table."

The man studied Kayla, his jaw set as he contemplated her purpose, "I own the hotel around the corner from here. Work seven days a week, and I'll pay you for four of them and let you stay for free. That is if you are sure you wouldn't rather do something else. I could always use help around the house-"

"I'll take the job. I can start right away if you have a place for me." Kayla interrupted, having no patience for the man's advances. "Just tell me where to go."

The man puffed his cigar in her face, eyes narrowing at her, "Over there. Help the woman with the guns. I'll have a key ready for you at the end of the day. Payments come every other week."

_That's two weeks from now. At least I'll have a roof over my head._

Without speaking Kayla moved over to help the woman who was putting together sniper rifles, not really knowing what she was working with. The girl had thick, raven black hair pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her hands were shaking as she put the pieces together, only greeting Kayla with a brief flitter of her eyes.

"So, umm, what can I do?" Kayla asked, picking up two pieces and studying them, before quickly tossing them back onto the belt to be passed to someone who actually knew what was happening.

"Put the gun together. Send it overseas. Win the war." The woman said as her dark brown eyes studied her own work. "Get that?"

"Got it." Kayla grumbled, beginning to put together the weapons, praying desperately that she'd find a way home soon.

* * *

** Friday, May 21, 1943**

Kayla walked back home from a long day at the factory, her hands in the pockets of her dingy brown work pants. She'd hacked off her hair, unable to deal with the length in the hot factory. The chin length bob clung to her sweaty cheeks as she moved down the streets of Manhattan. Five days into working at the factory she'd moved out of the owner's hotel. She wasn't the only one with a key to the hotel room and Kayla didn't appreciate his willingness to visit her unannounced.

Her dingy apartment wasn't much, but it was hers. Kayla had begun to accept she'd live out her days in that dirty New York apartment unless fate was cruel enough to let her live forever, so she'd be alone for the next seventy years before her friends were born.

Even after leaving the hotel, the cruel man still paid her for four days worth of work. He was upset his new worker was rejecting his advances. Kayla didn't mind working for free, it's not like she had anything to do anyway. It kept her hands busy, and her face away from the prying eyes of Steve Rogers. But she was lonely.

So when she walked home at dusk on Friday night, she was feeling especially alone. Her metabolism was eating her alive, as food was hard to come by, especially without a husband to provide for her. Her cheeks were thin, and her stomach was flat from not eating. Part of Kayla hoped she'd starve to death because it had been almost three weeks since Doctor Strange thrust her into the past and she was quickly losing hope in finding her way back to her family in the present.

"Kate?"

Kayla was brought back to reality by Steve's familiar voice, and she turned quickly to see him, against her better judgment. When she saw Steve, she saw the same man who'd come to her rescue three weeks ago. But when Steve saw her, he saw the shell of the strong woman who he'd welcomed into his home. He opened his mouth, trying to figure out how to begin, "Are you... are you okay?"

Kayla nodded bravely, tears threatening to spill out of her green eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine. Heading home from work." She pushed a hair away from her left cheek, wondering if there was grease smeared across her face.

"You cut your hair." Steve said, taking a step forward with his hands in his pockets. "You're working at a factory?"

Kayla nodded, her eyes flickering toward the ground as she smoothed down her thick brown shirt. "Yeah. Money's money. I have to eat. I have to sleep."

"You could have stayed with me. You didn't even say goodbye." Steve countered, defiance in his eyes as he told her what he really wanted to discuss. "Kate you look emaciated. Have you been eating?"

"I didn't want to burden you." She admitted, unable to meet his eyes. "Times are tough, and I didn't want you to have to support a stranger. I felt- guilty."

Steve pulled his hands out of his pockets and took hold of each of her arms, looking up to meet her gaze. "Could I..." He paused, working up the courage to ask her, "Could I maybe take you out to dinner? I know you just got off work, but, hell, I'd like to take you out. Would you join me?"

Kayla stared at Steve, the side of her mouth twerking up happily. She was starving, and she was lonely, and damn it she loved that small blonde man in front of her. She was never getting home. She should be happy, right?

"I would love to go out with you Steve." She answered quietly, her smile spreading until it reached her wet eyes. "Would you walk me back to my place so I could change?"

Steve offered his arm to Kayla, and she wrapped her hands around it, walking in step with the shorter man. She took the lead as they approached her apartment, but Steve wasn't done prodding the woman, "So, what's your story? I know you said you were away from home. I take it you aren't planning on heading home now? You got a job. An apartment. You seem relatively settled, although not happy."

Kayla pulled her apartment key out of her pocket, and opened up the door to her home, "What makes you think I'm not happy? I'm fine."

"No. You're not." Steve dared, and Kayla glared at him as she moved to her closet to get a change of clothes. Steve leaned against the stovetop, watching her as she pulled out the same blue dress she wore when he met her. Was that all she had? "Do you need money?"

"I have money. I have a job at the factory. I work every day." Kayla called as she moved into the bathroom to change.

"Every day?" Steve asked, leaning against the bathroom door. He wanted to feel some closeness to the woman. She was intriguing to him, and he wanted to understand.

Kayla emerged, wearing that blue dress and black booties. She'd brushed her hair, and washed her face, cleaning off the sweat and grime from the day, and appearing almost luminescent. It was the first time he'd noticed the chain hanging beneath the collar of her dress. She noticed his gaze and shoved the necklace further down, out of his line of sight. "Yeah. It's a long story. I had to take what I could get to afford this place."

"I've got time," Steve argued, gesturing toward the door. "Talk to me, Kate."

Kayla took the lead again as Steve opened the door for her, ushering her out of the apartment. She kept tight-lipped as she clasped her hands behind her back, her chin held high as she walked down the street. Steve didn't say anymore but tried to keep pace with the tall woman. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, her mind going a mile a minute.

_What if this changes the future? What if I do something that causes something catastrophic to happen?... But what if I never get home to my husband again. I deserve to be happy. Right? I deserved to be loved. And so does he damn it. Steve deserves to be so loved..._

"The owner of the factory I work at gave me a place to live in return for working every day. I moved out of the hotel when he got a little... too friendly." Kayla admitted, not elaborating on how she kicked his ass through the wall of the hotel room before storming out the night he tried to woo her. He would have fired her, but he was too ashamed getting beat up by a woman. "He pays me four days worth, but I still work seven. I need the money. I'm not doing anything else."

"That's a terrible life. You have friends right?" Steve asked, peering up at her with squinty eyes.

Kayla contemplated this for a moment. "No. Not really."

"Well, hopefully, you have one now," Steve said quietly as they walked before he motioned toward a diner up ahead of them. "Does this look okay for dinner?"

Kayla beamed at the light up sign ahead of her, excited to have a good meal for the first time in ages, "Yes." She said, eyes still fixed ahead, but her lower lip quivering a bit. She felt home. "To both." She added, catching his attention. His look of surprise was undeniable, and it was in that moment that Kayla decided, future be damned, she was going to be with Steve Rogers. He was her person, no matter when she met him, and no matter what he looked like. He was hers, and she was his, and she was so excited to make him fall in love with her again.

He looked away, unable to hold her intent gaze as he held open the door of the diner for her. She thanked him as she went to the counter, asking for a table for two. Steve watched her from behind, allowing himself to really _look_ at the woman who'd agreed to go out with him. Maybe she was just hungry. Maybe she was desperate. She must be very desperate to be with him. But the way she looked at him, it was unlike anyone had ever looked at him before. Maybe, just maybe, he could get this beautiful dame to take interest in him.

Once seated, Steve watched Kayla as she perused the menu, occasionally lifting her green eyes to meet Steve's. "Do you already know what you want? What's good here?"

"The burgers. I don't eat a whole lot. Weak stomach. But you can get whatever you want, it's on me. I hear milkshakes are great, but, I can't have dairy." Steve confessed, looking down to the closed menu before them.

"I do love milkshakes," Kayla smirked. When the waitress arrived to take their order, the blonde beamed up at her, and Steve's heart fluttered at the sight. "I'll take a cheeseburger and a strawberry milkshake please."

When the waitress turned to Steve, he found himself staring at the woman across from him. The waitress cleared her throat, snatching his attention. "I'll take a burger, no cheese, extra pickles please."

"Extra pickles?" Kayla asked with a giggle as she handed the menus back to the woman.

Steve blushed under her stare, suddenly very aware that he was on a date with the beautiful woman, and he should be trying to court her. "I, uh, yeah."

"What do you want to do with your life, Steve?" Kayla asked casually, watching him as she put her chin in her hands, leaning her elbows against the table.

Steve considered this as the waitress sat down his water, giving him a disappointed look. Steve was used to women looking disappointed in him. "I just want to help people. I feel... guilty. About the war. I've tried to enlist but they rejected me. They took Bucky though. I just feel awful."

"Well then, you'll have to try again."

Steve looked up, the surprised expression quickly becoming his most common one. "What? I've already been rejected in Brooklyn-"

"Then try somewhere else. If it's what you feel like you are meant to do, then you have to try. Don't give up." Kayla encouraged as the waitress set her cheeseburger and milkshake in front of her. "You're a good man Steve. I think you'd make a fine soldier."

"Thank you, Kate," Steve muttered, more in shock than anything. "That means a lot... especially coming from a beautiful woman like you."

"So, where will you try next?"

* * *

After dinner, Steve walked Kayla back to her apartment, keeping his hands in his pockets as he watched the ground. "I, uh, really enjoyed spending time with you tonight. Could I maybe see you again?"

"Yes," Kayla said quickly, turning to face Steve when she reached her apartment. "I'd really like that. Thank you for being so kind to me Steve." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, lingering just a moment longer than Steve expected.

"Will you be okay here alone? I don't like the thought of you working in that factory-"

"Don't you worry about me. I'm a tough girl. I'll be just fine." Kayla waved her hand flippantly, flipping her short hair.

"I'll come to fetch you from the factory tomorrow afternoon. If you'd let me." Steve said confidently before quieting, feeling self-conscious about assuming she'd actually want to be with him. She was the type of woman who went after Bucky, not Steve. No woman went after Steve.

"I can't wait." Kayla unlocked her apartment door, looking hopeful for the first time in three weeks. "I'll see you tomorrow Steve." Kayla closed the door behind her, smiling meekly at Steve as she closed the door. Once he was out of sight, Kayla pressed her back against the door, pulling out her wedding rings from inside her dress to press them against her chest as she looked up, knowing everything would be okay.

Little did she know Steve stood on the other side of the door, his ear and hands pressed against the door just to try and catch one last sound of her before he left for the evening. Little did Steve know, she would change his life. And as per usual, the fate of the universe was of little consequence to Kayla when it came to Steve Rogers.


	17. Week 63: Part 4

As five o'clock rolled around, Steve leaned against the brick wall of the factory fence, waiting patiently for Kate to get off of work. He had spurged and spent ten cents to buy her flowers, and actually spent time brushing back his shaggy blonde hair to look somewhat presentable for Kate. For the first time in his life, there was a beautiful dame interested in him, and he was going to try to make this work. What did he have to lose?

She was gorgeous, worked hard, and looked at him like she really saw him. She made him feel like he could actually amount to something for the first time in his life.

"Hey, handsome," Kayla called as she walked out of the factory. When she got close, she saw Steve was holding out a small bouquet of daisies out to her. He smiled optimistically at her as she took them and shoved them to her nose, taking in the smell. "They are beautiful Steve." Kayla kissed him on the cheek as he opened his mouth to respond, but the motion took away whatever he was planning on saying.

He gaped at her for a moment as she ran her fingers through her messy bob, pulling it away from her face as she watched him, waiting for him to take the lead, "Would you like to go home and change? We can get dinner again?"

"I can cook! I have a little food at home. We can just spend time together." Kayla suggested quickly, wanting to be alone with Steve.

"It's been a long time since a woman made me dinner," Steve replied with a grin, his eyes almost seductive as he reached his hand down to entwine his fingers with hers. He waited with bated breath for her to pull her hand away, but she squeezed his hand supportively, silently telling him she was happy with the arrangement.

Kayla threw her head back and laughed, causing Steve to bite his lip, loving the way she laughed so boisterously. "Don't get too excited. It's been a while. As you so keenly observed yesterday, I haven't been eating much."

"I can help. I mean, I don't know the first thing about cooking a decent meal, but I'm willing to try." Steve offered, holding her hand tightly. She looked down at their hands, her stomach churning as she considered how odd it was. His hands were cold and bony, and he didn't _feel_ like her Steve. She missed the way he held her so easily like she was made of glass and he had to treat her as such. But at the same time, this Steve didn't think she was breakable, he saw her as strong and able to take care of herself. It was nice, having someone believe in her, _rely_ on her.

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

Kayla's apartment didn't have a couch or even a table. So after cooking and borderline burning their food, Steve and Kayla sat on the floor of her studio apartment, leaning against her small bed. She leaned her shoulder against Steve's shoulder as he wheezed from laughing so hard.

"Shhh, are you okay?" She laughed as the man tried to catch his breath, swatting her away as he smiled.

"Yeah," He choked out, pushing his fist against his chest to steady his breathing, "I'm fine." But then he started coughing, and Kayla's joking demeanor vanishing as she lifted her head and put her arm around the blonde man.

She couldn't hide the panic in her green eyes as Steve coughed, "Are you okay? Steve?" She quickly grabbed the glass of water she'd been drinking and handed it quickly to Steve. He took the glass from her and took a long swig, calming his cough.

"I'm-sorry." He coughed out as he handed her back the water. "I was just laughing too hard. You're too funny."

"Well, I'd rather be boring than be the death of you." Kayla snapped back playfully, stroking his jaw as he breathed deeply, "I'm worried about you."

Steve was red when he turned to Kayla, his cough finally subsided and his breathing under control, "Don't ever be dull on my account. I think you're perfect." He realized the implications of his words as soon as they escaped his mouth, and he turned to look out her window, trying to avoid eye contact. "I mean, don't worry about me- I'm used to it. I'm fine."

"I just, I want-" Kayla struggled, feeling frustrated. She wanted Steve to be _better_. She knew that two months from now he would be. He'd never cough or wheeze or be truly out of breath again. She wanted to tell him that he'd be okay, but she couldn't. He didn't know what his future held, and she couldn't tell him.

Steve looked hurt. Kayla knew that look. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it, but it looked so much sadder on pre-serum Steve. Like a sad chihuahua who knew he wasn't a rottweiler. Kayla quickly shut her mouth and crossed her arms, scooting ever so slightly away from the man to give him space. He noticed and sighed, "I'm sorry I'm not...better. I'm not the kind of man you want."

Kayla remembered Captain Steve Rogers telling her that, it was almost four years ago now. They were standing in front of the National Monument, arguing about how they couldn't stop thinking about each other. And she remembered, clear as day, what she said to him in return.

_"Steve, all I want is you."_

_And then he kissed her._

Without speaking, Kayla grabbed Steve's collar and pulled him toward her, smashing her lips into his in a passionate kiss. She didn't bother with the pleasantries, she demanded entry into his mouth with her tongue, needing to taste him again for the first time in almost a month. She pushed her fingers through his hair, before settling on wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she kissed him.

At first, Steve was startled by her forwardness. His eyes were wide as she held his cheeks in her hands before running her long fingers through his hair. But as she wrapped her arms around him, he leaned into her, loving the way kissing the woman felt. He barely knew her, but she made him laugh, and she believed in him. Hell, he could be dreaming, but he wasn't going to wake up now.

Finally, the future soldier needed air, and pulled away, gasping as he did. "Kate, I-"

"Shhh, no talking." Kayla kissed him again, softly this time, allowing him to breathe. "I really like you, Rogers. Do you... feel the same?"

_Oh gosh, what if I just made my husband fall out of love with me?_

"Yes." He yelped, grabbing her cheeks in his hands. She could feel them quivering, "Yes, I do. I'm just, surprised, that's all."

Kayla pressed her forehead to his, breathing him in, "Times aren't easy right now. The war- I don't know how much time we've got. I want to make it count. I don't want to take things slow. I want to be with you, Steve."

His blue eyes were wide with surprise, his mind mulling over her words at an annoyingly slow speed. "I just- why me?"

"Because I see something in you. Something special. I don't know how to describe it, I just... I know." Kayla explained, pressing a kiss to his nose as he watched her, his forehead still pressed against hers. "Do you trust me?"

"I don't really know you. But I'd like to. I'd like to know you very well." Steve pulled away a little to meet her gaze, "What's on the necklace?"

"What?" Kayla cried, pulling back as her left hand flung to her neck, the chain peeking out. "Uh-"

"I'm just curious, I don't mean to pry..." Steve stuttered, wanting to go back to the moment where she was gushing about him and kissing him.

Kayla contemplated her options. She couldn't tell him who the ring came from, but, it didn't mean she couldn't show him her most important possession. She slowly pulled on the chain, letting the rings fall out of her brown blouse and drop into her right hand. "These belonged to... my mother. Her wedding rings. I, uh, I've worn them every day since I lost her." Kayla got out the words-barely- and felt guilty about the lie. Steve seemed to regret prying, because he went into comforting mode, pushing a bony arm around her shoulders supportively.

"I'm sorry I asked. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. I know how hard it is to lose your parents." Kayla winced at his words, feeling even worse because the death of his parents was so _fresh_. He'd only lost his mom a few years ago. He had no idea. Every person around him would die. Except, maybe her...

"No. It's fine. No secrets." Kayla lied again, the guilt overtaking her. "I really like you, Steve. I'd like you to... court me?" She laughed a little, catching the way his eyebrows creased at her words. "What? Wrong word?"

"You say odd things sometimes. I find you fascinating." Steve offered in return, not taking his eyes off of her. She was drowning in his blue eyes before she caught herself.

"You have no idea."

* * *

**Wednesday, June 2, 1943**

Kayla knocked on Steve's apartment. She took a step back, waiting patiently for him to answer. He didn't greet her at the factory like he usually did, which worried Kayla that he was still at home. She knocked again, but there was no answer.

"Steve?" She called loud enough for her voice to resonate through his small apartment. "Steve?" Kayla pressed her ear against the door, but it was silent. Finally, she'd grown weary of waiting, and moved a small rock near the staircase with her foot to pick up Steve's spare key and let herself in. The inside of the apartment was dark, no light illuminated. Kayla moved quickly toward the back bedroom, seeing Steve wasn't on the couch or in the kitchen. "Steve, honey?"

A cough carried from the bedroom as Kayla pushed open the door, moving swiftly to kneel beside Steve. "Oh, darling. You look terrible. How long have you been in bed?"

"Since last night. I never got up this morning. I can't... sit up." Steve hacked, the pale color of his cheeks causing Kayla's heart to race. "Don't worry about me Kate."

"Of course I'm worried about you, you look terrible. We need to get you to the hospital." Kayla stood, but as she turned, Steve grabbed her hand weakly. She kept her face away, unable to face Steve like this. He was breaking her heart. "Steve, I- I can't-"

"Please don't go. Please stay. With me." Steve wheezed, squeezing Kayla's hand but she barely felt it. "Will you stay the night?"

Kayla turned to see Steve's eyes closing, heavy with sickness. She sat at the edge of the bed, pressing her hand against Steve's burning forehead, "Always darling."

_Always_

* * *

**Thursday, June 10, 1943**

"Honey, I'm home," Kayla called, pushing open the door to Steve's apartment with her hip.

"Good to see you too Kate!" Bucky Barnes called from Steve's sofa as Steve emerged from the bedroom.

Kayla took in the man as he stood from the couch, turning to face her. Kayla placed her hands on her hips, all sass as she faced Steve's best friend. Barnes had been gone at basic training for the past several weeks that Kayla had been with Steve, allowing the pair to grow closer and closer alone. Kayla knew that her time with Steve was running out, because, in four days, he'd go to the Stark Expo and meet Doctor Erskine, get accepted into the army, and ultimately be chosen to become the world's first super soldier.

Kayla knew Steve had to go, and it would be hard for a while. But she also knew where Steve would crash the Valkyrie, and she knew he would still be alive, frozen in ice. She'd find him. She'd save him. And they could live happily ever after.

What could go wrong?

"Nice to see you too Barnes," Kayla answered shyly, avoiding his flirty gaze.

Steve threw his arm around Kayla's waist, pulling her closer to him. He was feeling a lot better after almost a week in bed, but Kayla slept beside him every night. And once he got better, she still didn't leave. Steve's neighbors began to whisper about them as they passed in the mornings, but neither paid any mind. Kayla had moved out of her studio apartment once Steve got really sick. They'd gotten into a happy routine, just the two of them. It broke Kayla's heart that it would soon be ending, but, she knew how much Steve wanted to fight. She'd nursed him back to health to ship him off to war.

"You two make me sick, you know that punk? How did a guy like you ever land a dame like her?" Bucky teased as Kayla leaned over to kiss Steve on the lips.

Steve winked at Bucky, wrapping both arms around Kayla playfully. "Shhh, don't remind her Buck."

"Ready to go to the movies?" Bucky asked, motioning toward the door with his head.

Kayla pulled away from Steve, gesturing to her dirty clothes from the factory, "Can I at least change first?"

"Go ahead, we'll wait," Steve told her as she trotted to their bedroom to change.

Bucky turned to face his friend, shoving his hands in his pockets as he tried to hide his impish smirk. "So, she's the one eh?"

Steve nodded as he stared at the bedroom door. "Were you able to get it?"

"Yeah. You sure about this?"

"I'm positive. I know what I want. It's her."

* * *

"Hey Wanda, it's uh, it's Steve again. I still haven't heard from Kayla, and I haven't heard from you either now. I'm getting worried. Please, call me back. I just want to know you two are okay."

Wanda listened to the message again. It had been several hours since Doctor Stephen Strange lost Kayla using the Time Stone. Steve was rightfully worried about his wife not answering her phone, because best case scenario, she was mad at him. Worst case scenario, something terrible had happened. And Steve's stewing was what caused Natasha to try her luck getting information from Wanda.

Wanda looked down at her phone as it began to ring again, knowing the spy wouldn't let her off the hook as easy as Steve had.

"Hello?" Wanda said meekly as Doctor Strange continued to pour over textbooks, looking for something that would help pinpoint Kayla.

Natasha's voice was curt on the other end, "Where's Kayla? Steve's worried sick about her. Why won't she return his calls? Don't lie to me, Wanda."

"She's lost." Wanda blurted, causing Strange to throw his head back and roll his eyes in frustration, "We met a Master of the Mystic Arts and he used an Infinity Stone to subdue her but she got lost. Somewhere in the past. We can't find her."

Wanda couldn't fathom the look on Natasha's face, but if she had to guess, it was most likely the look of annoyance, "You... lost her? In the past?"

"Please don't tell Steve. We don't want to freak him out." Wanda pleaded as Strange shot her a dirty look, warning her not to go into too much detail.

"He's already freaking out Wanda, he'll be livid. We'll be in New York within the next six hours-"

Wanda pressed her eyes closed and took a deep breath, "Give me two more hours. If we still can't find her, I'll call you."

"I'll hold you to that Maximoff. Please, be safe. We can't lose two of you." Nat's voice broke as she hung up the phone. Wanda turned to Strange, eyes hopeful.

"Any luck?"

"No. Which is surprising. But also comforting. She hasn't changed the future too much. Yet. Give it time. Something will turn up. Hubby's still calling?" Strange went back to quickly reading the texts, not looking at Wanda as he spoke.

Wanda leaned against a bookshelf, eyeing the ancient books beside her, "He's protective of her."

"Not surprising. He probably can't control her."

Wanda snorted, "It's a little more complicated than that. They have a- complicated relationship."

* * *

After the movie, Steve and Kayla laid in his small bed together, curled up on top of the covers. It was warm out, so they had the window open to get some air flow into the small apartment. It was quiet. Kayla missed Zawadi. He always chased the quiet away. Without her dog, Kayla had to fill the silence herself.

"You going to enlist again?" Kayla asked, laying across Steve's bare chest as he brushed her hair away from her face.

He stared up at the ceiling, contemplating her question, "Are you mad?"

"No. I know how much being a soldier means to you. I'm so proud of you for trying." Kayla hummed against him, her eyes closing slowly as she let his rapid heartbeat lull her to sleep.

There was a pause. A quiet, loaded pause. "What if they take me? What if I die? I'm- not cut out for war. I just feel guilty that everyone else is going overseas, fighting for this country. For what's right. Why should I be allowed to do anything less?"

Kayla's eyelids shot open. "If they take you, Steve, then I'll be waiting for you when you return. And you will return. I know it. You're going to be just fine."

"And what if I'm not Kate? What if-" Steve coughed a little and Kayla sat up on her elbow to get a better look at him.

"Shhh, you'll be _fine._ Trust me. I have to believe that Steve. Just, play along with me, please." Kayla begged, crushing her face against his chest again, "Let's go to sleep, okay?"

_I feel so terrible for him. He thinks... he thinks he's going to die. He doesn't know what he's about to become. He doesn't know... __That he's going to die. He's going to crash into the ice and sacrifice himself to save everyone. Because he's good, but he's about to become great and he's going to save the whole world. But tonight he's scared._

"Let's say you're right. Let's say that I make it into the army, I become a soldier, and I come back. Then what will we do?" Steve entertained, placing a gentle kiss against Kayla's face.

Kayla considered this. She'd made her plan for rescuing Steve. For finding him, saving him, being with him. But she hadn't contemplated what came after. "I, uh, guess we get married? Get a little house. Maybe have some kids? You want kids?"

"Yes! I want six." Steve answered happily, a light chuckle escaping as his mind wandered away.

"Six? Six children?" Kayla gawked, watching Steve as he smiled at the ceiling.

"Yeah, six children. At least two of each. And a dog. I'd love to have a dog. And a little house with a white picket fence. I've spent my whole life in Brooklyn, I'd love to move upstate somewhere once the war is over. Somewhere quiet that we can raise our family." Steve's blue eyes sparkled in the darkness, and Kayla's heart clenched. Her husband had never talked about a family with such vigor. He'd never been so hopeful, always so flippant about the subject. Whatever Kayla wanted. Kids, eventually. But this Steve, he wanted it, and he was ready for it. He'd come back from war a hero, and live the rest of his days a sleepy existence. Why wouldn't he? He was just a skinny kid from Brooklyn in love.

Kayla began to breathe quickly, unsure of how to respond. Not because she disagreed with Steve's dreams, but because she loved them. She loved them so much and she wanted that so much. Would Captain America want what Steve Rogers did? "It sounds perfect Steve." She finally croaked out, trying to fight back the tear that wanted to escape her eye.

"I love you, Kay." Steve mumbled as he began to fall asleep, not realizing he'd dropped the T from her name. Not realizing what it did to her as she began to cry lightly.

"I love you too Steve."


	18. Week 63: Part 5

**Monday, June 14, 1943**

"Rogers. Steven."

"Kind of makes you think twice about enlisting huh?" The shirtless man next to Steve asked as the skinny blonde man rose at his name, setting down his newspaper.

"Nope," Steve responded easily, knowing that he had to enlist. He had to join the war. To follow in his father's footsteps. To follow Bucky overseas. Men were laying down their lives, and he wanted to prove to his girl that he was honorable enough to do the same. This was his last try.

"The man who'd called I'm said his name lazily then looked at his file before studying Steve. "What did your father die of?"

"Mustard gas. He was in the 107th Infantry. I was hoping I could be assigned-"

"Mother?" The man asked again, cutting Steve off, not caring much for his request.

"Without skipping a beat, Steven answered, "She was a nurse in a TB ward. She got hit. Couldn't shake it."

The man's reading eyes froze and his neck stiffened at Steve's words. His list of ailments continued far longer than anyone who'd actually been approved to join the army. This kid was ineligible. Sending him to the front lines wouldn't just kill him, but it could be a danger to everyone else. "Sorry son." The man started, his eyes were hard. Steve's intentions may have been noble, but they needed strong men fighting the war. Not this little punk with bad luck.

"Look, just give me a chance," Steve begged, but he already knew the answer would be no. It was always no. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm doing it. I'm saving your life."

Steve's blue eyes looked down dejectedly as he went back to his chair, grabbing his dirty white shirt and jacket before heading to the bathroom to change. He was frustrated. He'd tried so hard, so many times. Kate had always encouraged him, despite his failures. But this was the last time he would try. Once dressed, he reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a little black box he'd scrounged up. He held it in his shaking fist, knowing that even though he wasn't fulfilling his destiny of joining the army, at least he'd be with the woman he loved.

* * *

Doctor Strange and Wanda sat in the New York City Sanctum, reading book after book to try and find some sort of clue as to where Kayla had gone. They only had a half hour left before they'd need to contact Natasha and admit they still couldn't find her. Doctor Strange knew her husband was worried, but he didn't realize who exactly her husband was.

A shake resonated through the sanctum, stealing the pair's attention away from their reading. "What was that?" Wanda asked quietly, red starting to dance on her fingers. Her head ached a little, but she fought past it, trying to keep control of her stream of consciousness.

Doctor Strange didn't answer, but he held his hand up to keep Wanda in her seat as he moved toward the large round window. He stared out at the bleak sky before addressing her. "You might want to look at this."

Wanda rose slowly, and moved cautiously to the window, afraid of what she'd find. Outside was New York, she thought, the buildings were run down, and from the top of the Empire State Building waved a red flag with a black skull and octopus arms. Wanda's breath caught in her throat, remembering the symbol from her time with Strucker. "Hydra."

"Well, considering Hydra has taken over the world, I think we can begin narrowing down where your friend is," Stephen mumbled, turning quickly back to the books. "Hydra began as a World War II organization correct?"

Wanda looked up, her jaw hung open in thought, "Who became Captain America?"

"Excuse me?" Strange responded, not understanding what this had to do with anything. "I believe it was... Steve something or another?"

"No. I mean now. According to the books, who became Captain America now?" Wanda pressed, grabbing a book off the shelf and flipping through the pages. She swallowed hard as she looked at the words on the page, detailing a man who became the world's first super soldier but was easily swayed by greed to turn on the US, swaying to the side of Hydra.

"She kept the correct man from becoming Captain America. Because of her,

we didn't win World War II. Because of her Hydra took over the world." A loud knock resonated from the front door. "Who the hell was supposed to be Captain America? You know don't you?"

"Steve Rogers. His name was Steve Rogers."

* * *

Kayla sat on a stool in front of the bathroom sink, staring at her reflection as she worked on her in curls. Her hair was still short, but the long bob was growing on the woman. Her right side of her face twisted up into a smile as she painted her lips cherry red. Steve was taking her to the Stark Expo that evening. It was the night he was to meet Abraham Erskine, and he would be offered the chance to join the army. He'd prove himself the perfect candidate for Project Rebirth and soon he'd become Captain America. Everything was going according to plan.

Kayla had to admit though, she'd miss this Steve. This scrawny man who's heart was quite literally too big for his chest. He loved her so damn much that it killed her to think that he could change once he became Captain America. It made her sad to think that he'd see and do things that would harden his sweet demeanor. She loved her husband, more than anyone in the world, but this glimpse into the hopeful man made her sad at what her Steve Rogers had become.

She pressed her lips together, making sure the red stain was even on both sides. Suddenly she was startled from her chair as a gold vortex opened up behind her, allowing Doctor Stephen Strange to emerge. She pressed herself against the sink, unsure what the sorcerer would do to her. She wished Steve was home. Would he take her away without letting her say goodbye?

"Kayla." He spat, her name tasting awful on his tongue, "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

The blonde gulped, having not thought about the repercussions of her actions in weeks. She was never getting home. She had to make a life for herself. "I've just been surviving." She admitted, closing the bathroom door in case Steve was to arrive and see the man before her.

"Do you have any idea who you are living with? Do you have any clue who he is to become?" Strange prodded, taking a step closer as she pressed her back against the door.

"His name is Steve Rogers. And I love him." She informed, not a lie in her words. But she wasn't telling the whole truth.

Doctor Strange pressed his fingers to his temples, "You are such an idiot." He muttered, looking down, "Steve Rogers was supposed to become Captain America. The First Avenger. World War II hero, saved the world from Hydra. Ring any bells?"

"I know who Captain America is." Kayla hissed, but her mind caught onto something he'd said, "Supposed to become?"

Strange scoffed at the girl, placing a long arm on one side of her head, his cape resting along it, "Because of you, Steve Rogers decided not to join the army. Someone else got the super soldier serum and turned on the US. Hydra has been ruling the world for seventy years. Because of you. Of everyone in the whole world, how the hell did you find him? Didn't you recognize the name? Your friend sure did. You've ruined everything. And now we need to fix it."

"He's my husband."

Strange froze, looking away from Kayla for a moment in through before turning his attention back to her, "It's not possible, he hasn't proposed yet. He's going to propose today."

Kayla took in his words, a small smile forming at her lips before she knew she had to clarify, "No. Steve Rogers is my husband. In the future. I'm Kayla Rogers. His wife. I'm married to Captain America."

Strange took in the information she'd given him, chewing it over for a moment, "You are Steve Rogers' wife? After he was frozen for seventy years? And you found him here-"

"He found me. He saved me. He kept finding me. And I love him. No matter what year he is. He's going to propose today? But the Expo tonight..." Kayla trailed as she remembered her timeline, "He doesn't go because he wants to marry me."

"Ding Ding Ding." Strange mocked, turning quickly to look out the small bathroom window, "He'll be home any minute. We need to come up with a plan. You need to convince him to enlist tonight before we leave."

"Before we leave? I- I can't leave, it'll break his heart. I love him. The future of the world shouldn't be on his shoulders." Kayla defended, suddenly not wanting to lose her Steve. The one who wanted a family and a dog and a simple life. The one who wanted what _she _wanted. "I'm staying with him."

"I had a feeling you might say that, but I imaged it was because you didn't believe he would become Captain America, not because he was your husband..." Strange mumbled before he continued clearly, "Every possible outcome of you staying with him ends the same way. In death."

"No. No, I'll take care of him." Kayla snarled, the world closing in on her.

"You can't. He'll die. He'll die from tuberculosis. He'll die from pneumonia. He'll die from a heart attack at thirty-one. Every future where you stay ends with him in a casket before you ever get the life you want. The only way he can survive is if you leave him. He needs the super soldier serum to live." Strange confessed. His head snapped up and he moved his hands, creating another portal. "He's here. Remember, do what you have to do to get him to enlist tonight. Then leave him. I'll meet you at the Expo this evening to take you home. This is the only way."

Doctor Strange disappeared as the portal back to the future fizzled out, leaving Kayla alone in the bathroom of Steve's dingy apartment. A silent sob erupted from her throat. Kayla knew she had to go home to her Steve. The one who loved her, even if he didn't show it as well as this Steve did. He had to become Captain America. Not just for her, but for everyone. He didn't have the slightest idea, even in the future, what his absence could cause.

"Kate? Kate, I'm home!" Steve called from the other room, and Kayla took a deep breath, knowing she had to break things off with the man. She opened the door slowly, her eyes welling with tears when she saw him standing in the open room, holding a bouquet of red roses in one hand.

She moved towards him, asking the question she already knew the answer to. "How did enlisting go? Did you get in?" She feigned excitement, knowing he had been rejecting, and those flowers were for him to propose to her with.

"No." He told her, his jaw tight for a moment before a smile overtook it, "I've been thinking about enlisting. A lot. I've tried so many times and they keep saying no. Maybe it's God's way of telling me I'm not meant to go to war. Maybe I'm meant to stay here with you." He handed Kayla the roses and began to fiddle in his pocket. Kayla held her breath, knowing what was coming next.

"Steve, you shouldn't give up, it's what you really want." Kayla tried, but she could see his determination was no longer set on joining the army. It was set on marrying her.

He slowly knelt down on one knee and presented a small diamond ring. "This was my mother's. Bucky's family had been holding on to it for me. I... I was hoping I could give it to you. I was hoping you'd do me the honor of being my wife."

The tears in Kayla's green eyes began to stream. They could have been interpreted as tears of happiness except for her heart was breaking. But she knew she'd be with Steve again. She just had to get past this moment.

"I-" She started, not able to form the word she needed to say. The whole world depended on her. "I can't."

Kayla watched the sparkle fall from Steve's blue eyes like a shooting star, something so brilliant one moment and so dull the next. "What? I don't understand, I thought it's what we wanted... I, I must have misunderstood."

"I can't be someone's wife who lets everyone else die while he stays at home safe and sound," Kayla growled, hating herself more than she'd ever hated anyone in her life. The shocked look on Steve's face was more painful than her body being depleted of all muscle mass. "I just needed you to get by Steve. I never actually expected you to stay behind. I expected you to finally get into the army and-"

"And die?" Steve finished, and Kayla couldn't even look him in the eye because it couldn't be farther from the truth, "You were using me? You wanted me to go off and die at war. I thought you believed in me..."

"I always knew you weren't strong enough to survive." Kayla finished, knowing it was the final nail in the coffin. "I was lonely. So were you. I thought we had a mutual agreement this wasn't meant to last."

"But Kate, I love you." He tried, and it took everything in Kayla not to tell him it was all a lie. That she loved him, that she knew he was strong enough, and that he would survive and he needed to join the army to become the greatest soldier the world had ever known.

"I don't love you, Steve. I'm sorry I let you believe I did."

Kayla rushed past Steve, pushing her way out the door and running as fast as she could away from his Brooklyn apartment. When she was sure he couldn't follow her, she fell to the ground weeping. She felt terrible. The thing she'd said. Steve would never forget them, even when she was back in the future. It would be another crack in their already broken relationship.

"It's alright Kayla. Everything is as it should be now. You did the right thing, and the world is as it should be." Doctor Strange said behind the girl, but his condescending tone didn't show any empathy. "Right now James Buchannan Barnes is at his apartment, and Steve's admitting you dumped him. Barnes will bring another girl to raise Steve's spirits, but your words will echo in his head until he decides he'll prove to you he is strong enough. He'll go to the tent. He'll meet Erskine, and the rest, as they say, is history. No thanks to you."

Kayla turned and glared at Doctor Strange, wanting to punch his smug face, "I hate you so fucking much."

"The feeling is mutual Mrs. Rogers. Believe me. But after tonight we'll go our separate ways." Doctor Strange added, motioning her to follow him. He was leading her toward the city, not toward one of his magic portals. "We're going to the Expo. Your friend Maximoff has something she needs to do."

"Wanda?" Kayla asked, confusion written across her face as people stared at Doctor Strange.

"Yes. We'll meet up with her. Lay low. You'll understand tonight."

* * *

"I don't see the problem. You're about to be the last eligible man in New York. You know there are three and a half million women here. Don't let one dame get you down, someone will be here to pick you right back up. She used you, and you are worth so much more than that. Don't let her bring you down. Plus, I brought you a date to get your mind off of her. Nothing serious, just a friend of a friend, you know?" Bucky explained to Steve as they walked down the steps to the Stark Expo, unaware of the dark eyes that were following them.

The redheaded woman wore a deep red dress and her hair was pulled back into a loose bun at the back of her neck. Her makeup was light, something quite unusual for her. She was trying to blend in enough to get close to the boys. She cursed herself silently as two girls waved at them, and Bucky picked up the pace toward them, Steve slumped over behind him.

Kayla and Stephen watched from a distance as Wanda stalked her prey, Kayla unsure about their plan. "Last time she used her magic on my husband he turned into a dog."

"Well a dog is better than being dead now, isn't it? I've looked at the possible outcomes of your return to our time and none of them are pretty with Mr. America. Let her do this. She feels confident."

"What if he forgets something important?" Kayla argued, and Strange shushed her rudely.

"He won't. He'll remember you, it'll just be fuzzy. He won't remember _you_. And all the damage you did."

Kayla practically snarled as she looked away from Strange, her eyes falling on something not too far. "I'll be right back."

"Don't even think about it." Strange replied, not looking away from Wanda. His arms were crossed and Kayla could swear she saw his cape move on its own as if to look at her.

"Just a peak? Please? I won't say anything..."

Strange finally met Kayla's glance, "Make it snappy. And don't let him see you. Alright?"

Kayla saluted Strange before sneaking toward the enlistment tent where she knew her idol would be. She looked around, and finally, her eyes fell on an older German man with grey facial hair and glasses. It took everything in her not to say something, but what could she say? So she allowed herself this brief look at Erskine, silently thanking him for everything he'd given her, even if he'd never know.

As Kayla returned to Strange, he motioned to Wanda, who followed Steve and Bucky to Howard Stark's flying car demonstration. While the men were enraptured by the vehicle, Wanda twitched her fingers behind them, red wisps entering their brains. Kayla saw Steve's neck stiffen and him shake his head as if he was trying to clear it. Before he could turn around, Wanda was gone.

Once she returned to the others, she looked at Kayla, a hopeful smile on her face. "I didn't remove his memories of your time with him, but I blurred them a bit. He'll remember feeling in love, and he'll remember being sad you left, but he'll never quite be able to remember your face. Now we better go."

Kayla turned to look at Steve one last time but found his eyes trained on the enlistment tent. She nodded encouragingly, "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Once the trio was out of sight, Doctor Strange used the Time Stone to open a portal to take them back home. "After you." He gestured to Wanda, then turned to Kayla, who was looking wistfully back toward the fireworks and lights, "For someone married to Captain America, you seem pretty hesitant to get back to him."

"I love Steve. Very much. It's just hard to leave knowing what's about to become of this man." Kayla muttered, then turned toward the Doctor. "Thank you for saving me. I owe you a debt."

He ushered her through the portal and the pair appeared on the other side. "You can pay it by staying out of my hair, understand me?" Doctor Strange answered as the pendant containing the Time Stone closed, protecting it from the women.

"I think I can do that. Now if you excuse us, we have a friend to meet." Kayla responded, walking toward the door as Wanda gave Strange a thankful nod.

Once she reached the door, she flung it open, revealing a glorious New York City evening. She looked to Wanda, who simply shrugged, "You were gone a few hours. Steve was worried about you. He called several times."

"I was there several weeks," Kayla responded, and Wanda handed her cell phone to her. "I'll give him a call. Let him know I'm alright."

"He'll have a heart attack when he sees your hair." Wanda giggled, shoving her hands into the pockets of her light red jacket.

The phone rang several times as Kayla held it gingerly to her ear. She was fully aware that she was still wearing her clothes from 1943 but she was more worried about talking to Steve than the stares she was getting from the pedestrians. She had to make sure Steve was okay, and that history had been set right.

"Hello? Kay? Is that you?" Steve's words tumbled out in a rush, hoping his wife was finally going to talk to him.

Kayla released a deep breath, never being so happy to hear his voice, "Hey baby. It's me. I'm so sorry I missed your calls- Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. It's a long story. I'll tell you what I can when I see you... I love you, Steve. So much. I can't wait to see you." Wanda smiled to herself as she walked along, happy that her friends were getting along. When Kayla hung up the phone she turned to Wanda, "You were listening."

"It's hard not to. He's been calling you for hours. I'm surprised he isn't here looking for you yet, even though I asked Natasha to hold him off." Wanda answered, looking up at the dark sky beyond the skyscrapers.

Kayla shrugged and scoffed, a dull ache in her chest reminding her that things weren't always what they seemed, "I'm not surprised. He has more important things to do."

"Nothing is more important than you Kay."

Kayla and Wanda turned around to see Steve standing behind them, eyes staring into Kayla. Tears began to flow without warning from her emerald eyes as she leaped toward Steve, clinging to his neck lovingly as she wrapped her thighs around his stomach. "Steve. You came for me."

He stroked her hair with one hand as he used his other to hold her by the small of her back, "You didn't answer your phone for eight hours Kay, of course, I came for you. Where the hell have you been?... What are you wearing?"

Kayla blushed as Steve continued to hold her, not letting her down. Not letting her away from him. "Would you believe me if I told you I was flung back in time and met you in 1943, fell in love with you all over again then broke your heart to save the fate of the universe?"

Steve squished his face in thought, then realization dawned on him, "That was _you?_ You were Kate?"

"Surprise!" Kayla said weakly, an uncharacteristically meek smile on her face, "I'm sorry I broke your heart. I needed you to become Captain America."

"How did, you, what? I-" Steve stuttered, setting Kayla down gently, "I'm just glad you are back."

"Me too darling." She pressed a firm kiss against his lips as he continued to mill through his memories, "Me too."

"I still can't believe- I just-" Steve stumbled through his mind, unhappy that everything seemed so jumbled.

Kayla pressed her palm to his cheek, stroking her thumb against him soothingly, "Honey, it was an accident. Don't think too much of it okay? I just... couldn't stay away from you."

"We'll talk more about this later. For now, let's get some dinner. I don't have long before I have to meet up with Sam and Natasha overseas. They don't appreciate being stranded in Namibia." Steve grabbed Kayla's hand, and she smiled down at it. She'd missed his strong touch, but, she knew she'd miss his utter devotion to her and her alone.


	19. Week 78

Kayla's period was late.

Two weeks ago in Spain, she and Steve had made love for the first time in over two months. Passion and desperation overtook them for the three hours they were alone while Sam and Natasha were out doing surveillance. (Which later Kayla would find out that they went for dinner, then Sam went on a date with a beautiful Spanish woman, while Natasha watched from a distance.)

Steve had been so proud of his work. He'd sent his friends out for the evening so he could have a romantic evening with his wife, and he'd thought of everything. He'd pickpocketed a man just to steal the condom he'd been bragging about keeping in his wallet. Steve was determined to be with his wife, and everything went according to plan.

That is until Kayla's stamina gave out and she left Steve alone. It was then that he realized the condom had broke, but he wasn't sure when. He decided not to tell Kayla, because he didn't want to worry her, and he didn't want to admit he'd fucked up. If she became pregnant, he'd have to own up to his mistake, but hopefully, she wouldn't. Hopefully, he could sweep his mistake under the rug and they could go about their lives as if it had never happened.

Steve didn't give Kayla enough credit though, because she knew when the condom broke. She was also aware of the two more rounds she went with her husband after the condom broke. Because if he wasn't going to tell her, she wasn't going to bring it up. Was it wrong? Most definitely. But Steve was ignoring the fact as well, so Kayla would take her chances.

If she became pregnant, Steve would _have_ to pay more attention to her. He'd _have_ to put her first. If she became pregnant, she could have everything she'd ever wanted, and everything Steve wanted but pushed aside. And if she didn't become pregnant, then nothing would change.

It was hot and sticky, a severe contrast to the low fifties the group had endured two weeks ago in Spain. Thailand in January was sweltering, and the run down hotel they'd chosen didn't have good air conditioning. Kayla was grumpy and hungry and starting to wonder...

"Is there any way we can get some more food? I'm starving." Kayla whined as she sprawled out on the dirty comforter of the bed, placing a hand to her bare stomach. She was getting good use of her black crop top and shorts. The fewer clothes, the better.

Natasha shot Kayla a frustrated glance, "You already ate everything we had in the packs. We don't have any extra right now. You've eaten almost twice as much as you usually do."

"I'll see what I can do. We've still got some time before we leave for the meeting this evening." Sam assured Kayla, pressing his hand to her bare thigh supportively. Her right hand still sat lazily on her stomach, trying to calm it down.

"You feeling okay?" Natasha asked suddenly, noticing the woman's strange behavior. Kayla nor Steve got sick because of the super soldier serum, but Kayla seemed uncomfortable.

Kayla sat up on her elbows, looking between Sam and Natasha. Steve had claimed dibs on taking the first shower, sweat literally dripping down his face as he locked himself in the bathroom. It was just the three of them. "Sam... do you think you could pick something up for me? And not tell Steve?"

"Kay, don't. Don't do this now. This is a bad time." Natasha warned, but the assassin knew that if Kayla's suspicions were correct, everything they knew was about to change, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"I'm sure its nothing, I'm just late. Grab me a test will you? I don't want-" She looked toward the thing walls where the water of the shower stopped, "I don't want Steve freaking out until I know for sure."

"Does he know this could be a possibility?" Sam asked, but Natasha crossed her arms, eyes dark as she stared at the bed beside Kayla. The blonde had told her that the condom broke and that Steve hadn't told her. Natasha knew this was something Kayla had on her mind, and she tried so hard to ignore the signs her friend was pregnant.

"Steve knows. But they haven't talked about it." Natasha said shortly, motioning for Sam to follow her. "Let's go to the store, we'll be back soon."

"Thanks, guys." Kayla murmured, letting her back fall onto the mattress again. The hotel room door closed simultaneously with the bathroom door opening, revealing Steve in a white sleeveless shirt and dark jeans. He wasn't ready for the mission yet, but Kayla could tell he was not in the mood for relaxing.

"We'll make contact with Johnston at six this evening. We shouldn't need you if you don't want to come. You can always stay here. Although, this place is shit." Steve chuckled, causing Kayla to smile from her place on the bed. She stared at the ceiling, silent. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. Upset stomach. I'm still hungry, but, I know that I can't ask for more. There is no more. I'm just so hungry." Kayla explained, closing her eyes and placing her arm across her face so the crook of her elbow protected her from the dull light.

Steve rubbed her toned stomach supportively, his lips twitching up into a small smile, "Whatever you need Kay, you know I'll get it for you. I promise." Steve leaned down and kissed her lips, even though she couldn't see him coming, she instinctively met them with her own. "I love you so much. Even if I forget to show it. I want more nights like Spain. Hell if I knew how long Nat and Sam would be gone-"

"I don't think I'm up for that right now Honey." Kayla moaned, holding her stomach a little tighter. "They went to get me more food. I feel awful, I'm just starving."

Kayla kept her arm draped across her eyes, but she felt Steve press a gentle kiss to her stomach, and her heart clenched. What if she was pregnant? What would Steve say? He'd be so angry... but it was his fault really. No. No, it wasn't. He may not have told her, but she continued to have sex with him knowing full well the condom had broke. This was her fault.

_Look at me again, making Steve's life difficult._

"I have to go to the bathroom." Kayla lunged up from the bed, startling Steve with her quick movement. He stayed sat on the bed as she closed the door loudly, clenching his hands together tightly. Steve was scared. Kayla was sick. Kayla was starving. Kayla was more tired than usual. The super soldier serum in her veins should fight off all of these symptoms, but Steve wasn't stupid. He knew a reason for his wife's weird behavior. And he knew how likely she was to be pregnant.

He had to focus on work, he had to focus on the mission. He had to make sure the meeting with Johnston went well so they could get the information they needed. He couldn't become distracted with things that may not be. He couldn't let his mind wander to white picket fences and a yard for the kids to play in with the dogs...

Zawadi barked loudly at the bathroom door and Steve jumped from his spot on the bed to kneel beside the dog, holding his mouth closed gently, "Shhh, Zaddi, quiet. Mommy will be fine. She'll be okay." Steve looked at the door, pressing his forehead against it, "Please be okay."

"I'm okay. And I can hear you, Steve." Kayla deadpanned from the other side of the bathroom door. Suddenly, Zawadi lifted his head and panted toward the hotel door as Sam and Natasha moved in quickly, closing the door quietly behind them. Natasha met Steve's glance before his blue eyes fell to the bag in her hand. He could make out a bag of potato chips and a pink box that he couldn't quite see.

"I got her some medicine for her stomach." Natasha lied quickly, advancing on the bathroom with only a few graceful steps. Sam knelt down to pet the Rhodesian Ridgeback who looked back toward Steve and Natasha, waiting to see Kayla.

Kayla threw open the bathroom door, and Steve saw her face was practically green. She quickly grabbed the bag from Nat and slammed the door closed, calling out a thank you through the door. Steve met Natasha's eyes, but she kept her expression neutral, not letting the soldier in on anything. He finally sighed and crossed the room, sitting down on the bed, giving in to his body's need for rest, "I'm going to take a nap before the meeting tonight. We'll start getting ready at five." Zawadi jumped up onto the bed and laid his large head across Steve's shoulder, keeping him company as he worried about his wife.

* * *

_Shit. He's going to have a heart attack._

Kayla stared down at the little white stick that she held in her hand. The two blue lines were staring back at her, telling her what she already knew. She'd spent the last thirty minutes in the bathroom while the others rested, and after the little plus sign appeared on the first test, she took the second one that was a different brand just to be certain.

But there was no denying the truth now because both little tests told Kayla the same thing. She was pregnant with Steve Rogers' baby. She suddenly became very aware that the nerves knotting her stomach were actually her child, beginning to grow and form. Now Kayla just had to figure out how to tell Steve.

Steve.

He'd be so upset. It hadn't been three years, it wasn't time. Would he be excited? Would he be nervous? Would he be disappointed? Kayla's mind swirled in a million different directions as she sat on the closed toilet seat, staring at the two little tests propped onto the side of the bathtub. She put a strong hand against her stomach and closed her eyes, channeling all of her enhanced senses on the baby, trying to find some sign that it was true, that there was a person in there.

Kayla heard rustling on the other side of the bathroom door. She looked at her watch. It was five thirty. They were getting ready to leave. Kayla stood slowly and creaked open the bathroom door, peeking her head out. Natasha and Sam were already gone, and it was just Steve buckling his dirty old boots. Once the snap of his left boot clicked into place, Steve looked up and saw Kayla, his eyes locked on her as he swallowed thickly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, in a way," Kayla admitted, taking a step toward Steve as he pulled on his right glove, beginning his search for the left one in the dirty hotel room. "Steve... can I talk to you for a second?"

Steve shuddered as he pushed back his hair with his left hand, still searching for his glove to avoid Kayla's gaze, "Can it wait? We're going to be late if we don't leave soon." He had a feeling what Kayla was going to tell him, and he wasn't sure he was ready to hear the words come from her mouth.

"Steve..." Kayla started, following Steve toward the bathroom sink as he continued to look for his glove, "Steve, I'm pregnant."

Steve froze where he was, and everything stood still. His jaw quivered as his mind heard the words she'd said. He turned to look at her and saw her face was pale and her hand was shaking as she held onto a little white pregnancy test. "You're- pregnant?" He moved closer to Kayla as she held out the test, the plus sign burned into his mind's eye. He looked up to see Kayla watching him carefully, pure fear in her eyes as she waited for his reaction. But he couldn't stop the happiness that was growing inside him. "I'm going to be a father?"

Kayla sighed in relief, "Yes. Yes, we are going to have a baby."

Steve picked up his wife and spun her happily as she laughed, "I'm going to be a father!" He exclaimed as he sat her back down, looking into her emerald green eyes as she beamed at him, her million dollar smile the brightest he'd seen it in weeks. But he had a confession to make to her, "Kayla... I have to tell you something.."

"What is it, Steve?" Kayla asked, already knowing what he was going to tell her.

He hung his head shamefully, avoiding her eyes, "The condom broke. In Spain. I didn't want to scare you so I didn't say anything, but I should have and I'm sorry. You trusted me to use protection and I failed us."

"I'm not upset Steve. Accidents happen. And this is a beautiful accident. We are going to have a baby, and be a family. Darling, I know it's not what we planned, but I'm excited! Are-are you?" Kayla prodded quietly, knowing this was the part where Steve admitted to her it was a mistake. Would he want to get rid of it? No. No Steve would never do that, not to his child.

"Of course," Steve answered without hesitation, enveloping Kayla in his arms once again, "Of course I'm excited, I'm just... nervous, that's all."

"Me too. But we'll figure it out. Together." Kayla scooped down and picked up the glove from the floor that Steve had worked so hard to find. As she handed it to Steve, she placed a hand on her stomach, happy that her secret was out. "Now go to work honey, we'll talk more about this later."

Steve kissed her passionately before moving toward the door, offering her one last longing glance over his shoulder before he left. Relief washed over Kayla as she sat on the bed, Zawadi licking her bare stomach from the mattress beside her. "Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be just fine."


	20. Week 81

Sam sat on the rooftop of the four-story hotel across from the parking lot where Steve and Kayla would be meeting with a weapons dealer to try and purchase some SHIELD technology that hit the black market after the fall of the Triskelion several years ago. It was their second attempted meeting, as their first ended with Natasha at gunpoint and Sam needing to swoop in and save her. Nat's action of dumping SHIELD's secrets onto the internet was causing quite a headache here in Oregon, as Natasha was too recognizable to finish the deal.

But they hoped Steve's short beard and longer hair would disguise him enough to keep them from realizing he was Captain America. He wore loose fitting jeans and a black pullover hoodie, as it was chilly that late February morning. It was six am and they'd taken all the precautions they could.

The night prior, Kayla had used a borrowed scissors from the front desk to cut Natasha's hair herself, and then bleach it white, causing the famed assassin to become almost unrecognizable. Kayla would never bring it up, but she could swear she saw Nat's eyes water when she first saw herself without her signature red locks.

"I'm in position Rogers." Natasha said as she leaned back against the driver's seat of the black car she'd stolen, sipping the Starbucks she bought as she pulled out a book to begin reading. Even if they recognized Natasha two days ago, they wouldn't think much of her presence on the side street today. Her small gun was tucked near the seatbelt, out of prying eyes but easy to reach for.

"Cap, they are en route to the rendezvous point," Sam added, adjusting the magnifying lenses on his goggles. "I see two men, both armed."

"I copy. We're moving out now." Steve answered, looking to Kayla who shoved her hands in the pockets of her zip-up sweatshirt. She adjusted her belt, pulling down the sweatshirt to cover the firearm she had hidden on the small of her back. "I really don't like you having a gun." Steve mumbled as he motioned toward the front door of the hotel, ushering Kayla out into the cold.

Kayla snorted, her mid-length hair peeking out the right side of the lifted red hood. "I don't like you not having a shield, but you mailed it back to Stark." She hissed, raising an eyebrow to get Steve to respond.

"It was Howard's. Not mine to keep. Nat stole it, and I don't need it anymore." Steve cocked his own gun, which made Kayla feel sick to her stomach. He placed the weapon in the front pocket of his hoodie and placed a strong arm around Kayla's shoulders as they moved toward the parking lot. "Sam, what's their status?"

"Two men on the North East corner of the lot. Widow is stationed on the West. Be advised Cap, they seem to be more heavily armed than us." Sam cautioned, and Natasha looked up from her reading to see another car pull in front of her.

"We've got more company." She muttered, holding the book up in front of her face to shield it as they exited the car and made their way toward the lot. "Seems to be a getaway car. Large black van. Keep an eye on it."

"I see them. Let's get this over with." Steve barked, pulling Kayla a little closer to him. He didn't like having Kayla as his backup, but Natasha was out of the question, and Sam was better used from above. As the pair approached the two men dressed in black suits, Steve spoke slowly, "You got what we asked for?"

"Maybe. You got the cash?"

Kayla opened a black briefcase, revealing several stacks of hundred dollar bills. She snapped it closed and held it tightly as she met the man's stare. Steve continued speaking, taking control of the situation. "Show us the tech, and you'll get your money."

"Cap. We have more incoming. We are outgunned, Cap. Get out of there." Sam warned, and Kayla could hear through the comms that he had engaged his wings, preparing to help fight. In the distance, she heard a car door but didn't turn to see if it was Natasha or more people to shoot at her.

"You've got earpieces. Who are you working for?" One of the men asked, drawing his gun at Steve. Kayla finally spared a look around, seeing three more men to her left and another two on her right, all holding guns aimed at her and Steve.

Steve put his hands up in surrender, taking a step in front of Kayla, "Look, we don't want any trouble, I thought we had a deal? We brought the money-"

"And we'll take the money, and keep the tech, and leave two corpses behind. Or maybe more if your other friends want to come out and play." He cocked the gun, aiming it at Steve's face.

Kayla saw that both Steve's hands were held in surrender, but she used his body as a shield and drew her weapon, quickly sidestepping him to shoot the man who was threatening him. The first man fell as the second one drew his gun, but Kayla was fast and shot him too before Steve grabbed her and pulled her away from the firefight. Sam swooped down from the sky, bullets raining down on the five other men who were shooting at the Captain.

"What the hell was that?" Steve snarled as they dove behind a dumpster, heaving the gunfire approach as he cocked his own gun. He stood quickly and let out three fast shots before kneeling back down to face Kayla.

Kayla looked at him incredulously, "He was going to shoot you. You couldn't draw your gun so I took care of the threat for you."

Suddenly a bullet ripped through Kayla's arm, causing her to hiss in pain. Steve stood again and fired two perfectly aimed shots at the man who'd hurt his wife. "Kay. Kay are you alright?" He ripped the sleeve of her jacket clear off and revealed a cut alongside her bicep.

"I'll be fine. We've just got to get out of here." Kayla groaned, throwing her head back against the metal of the trashcan.

"Cap, there's more than we thought. What do we do?" Sam asked as he flew swiftly away from the bullets that chased him.

Steve looked at Kayla, then turned on the balls of his feet to look out at the lot, seeing Nat's white hair peeking out from behind the car at the other end of the lot, shooting at the men. "We've got to retreat."

Natasha pressed the earpiece with one hand while still firing with the other, "Retreat? What about the weapons-"

"Kay's been hit. We've got to get her out of here. Besides, they didn't bring it. They never had any intention of keeping their end of the bargain." Steve huffed angrily as he let off four more rapid shots.

"I'll bring the car to the South West side of the lot. Meet me there." Natasha said curtly, and they could hear the rev of her engine before the sound of squealing tires.

"Think you can run?" Steve asked Kayla as she applied pressure to her bleeding arm.

She stared at him with her mouth open, eyes wide with pain and frustration, "They shot my fucking arm, not my leg Steve."

A groan escaped Steve's lips as he rolled his eyes, but Kayla didn't point it out. She handed him her gun since her dominant arm was the one that got shot, and she wouldn't be able to use it now anyway. Steve held it up and motioned for her to follow him, grabbing her good arm as he dove out into the lot. There were only three men left, but now Steve had all of their attention as he ran and shot, missing them in his effort to get to safety. Sam landed near Natasha and his wings folded in as he flung open the passenger and backseat doors for Kayla and Steve to dive into.

Before they could reach it though, Kayla stopped when she heard Steve grunt in pain. "Steve!" She cried out, doubling back to see he'd been shot as well, but he returned the favor by firing three bullets back at the attackers as Kayla jumped into the car first, followed by Steve.

"Go! Now!" He snarled before he even had a chance to close the door, causing Black Widow to slam on the gas and speed off into the rising sun.

"That was a disaster. A fucking shit show." Natasha grumbled, looking over her shoulder to see Kayla pressing the fabric of her red sweater to Steve's waist. "You okay Cap?"

"Just a flesh wound." He hissed as Kayla poured some water onto the spot from the water bottle Sam gave her. "I'm more worried about Kay-"

"I took a bullet to the arm, you took a bullet to the side. I'm much more worried about you." Kayla spat, but it wasn't anger in her voice, it was panic, "Damn it, Steve." She muttered, taking a deep breath as she pulled up the side of his black hoodie, revealing the gaping hole in the left side of his abdomen. "We need to get you to the hospital, or at least to a place where you can rest."

"You know we can't take him to the hospital. We've got a first aid kit back at the Quinjet, we'll head there." Natasha informed, keeping her eyes on the road. Sam stared ahead, deep in thought.

Steve moaned as Kayla examined his gunshot wound, hating that she was worried about him. "I'm fine. Really, Kay, I'm just fine. I'm just worried about you... about the baby."

Sam turned his head ever so slightly, listening to their conversation. He'd been anticipating this moment the past three weeks, ever since Kayla found out she was expecting. It was only a matter of time before something happened to one of them, and they'd realize their lives were bigger than this now.

"Baby is fine, I promise, you know I'd never do anything to hurt them," Kayla said as she looked up to meet Steve's blue eyes. "You _know_ that."

Steve's eyebrows furrowed as he opened his mouth to speak, his jaw quivering ever so slightly, "I know you'd never intentionally do anything to hurt them, but Kayla, this life is dangerous. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to the two of you. There's two of you now...

"Baby is fine. I got shot in the arm, remember, not the stomach..." Kayla trailed off, not taking her eyes off of Steve's wound. The words were left unspoken: it could have been her side instead of his. Their baby could have died.

"We're here." Nat interrupted, quickly leaving the car to head to the quinjet. When she opened the door, Zawadi came bounding out toward the car, pawing at the door for Steve to let him in. The super soldier turned to the dog, then back to his wife, eyes saying more than his words ever could.

Steve opened the car door, and with one hand held Zawadi back from jumping in with them. He slowly crawled out, holding his right hand to his side once he straightened up, the pain resonating through his body. Kayla crawled out after him, allowing Zawadi to jump up and lick her face lovingly as his paws rested on her collarbone. She looked to Steve, a wordless confession in her gaze. She knew he was right. And she knew she was getting sent away.

Once the group was inside the quinjet, Natasha clasped her hands loudly, addressing her chosen family, "Well, I'm going to give you two some time to talk. I know there's a lot to discuss how to move forward-"

"No. Stay. This isn't just about Steve and me, this affects all of us." Kayla disrupted, cutting off the assassin. She turned to Sam, "Please. Stay."

"You need to go someplace safe Kay. I can't risk what happened this morning happen again." Steve started boldly, staring his wife down, preparing for an argument.

Kayla nodded quickly, "I completely agree."

"You do?" Steve stammered, taken back by her words. "I thought you'd want to stay-"

Kayla tilted her head to the side, allowing her growing hair to fall away from her face before she tossed it back over her shoulder, "As you said, there are two of us now. We are kind of a package deal, and I can't put your safety above theirs. They can't help what I do, and that's not fair. If I die protecting you, they die too, and that's not fair to them."

"You say them, how many babies are you expecting?" Sam broke, raising his hand questioningly. He didn't know if he could handle several little Caps running around.

"Just one. As far as I know. I haven't been to a doctor, which I should really do..." Kayla admitted, holding her flat belly protectively. "I could go home. Be with my parents."

Steve nodded, mulling it over, "That could complicate things though. People would realize you were alive when you went to the doctor. They could want to do tests on the baby... plus, it would be hard for me to arrange to see you. I... I want you to be with your family, but I don't know if its the best choice." Steve said, ashamed that his selfishness would keep her away from her parents. But it was his child, and he wanted to get to them easily.

"I don't know anywhere else." Kayla accepted sadly, hanging her head as she pressed her lips into a frown.

Natasha smiled, patting Zawadi on the head, which caused him to whimper at the unexpected motion. "I know somewhere you can go. Somewhere safe, with the best doctors in the world."

Kayla met her glance, then turned to Steve, "It would be perfect. I'd be safe there. And you could come and go as you please, you know you are welcome."

"I can't impose on T'Challa like that, I can't expect him to take care of my family, he's already done so much for us-" Steve started, feeling his debt to the king growing larger by the hour.

"That's exactly why its the perfect place to go. He's done so much, and he'll protect me. Like he's protecting Bucky. Their technology is advanced- if anyone can make sure this baby is safe, it's them. Steve... if I can't be with you, let me be somewhere that I'm happy..."

Steve bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. After the gunfight, he'd been so set on sending his wife away. Now that she was ready to go he wasn't so sure he could be without her."I have more work to do Kay."

"I know. And when the baby is born you can be done. It's not what we planned, but it's fair, right? You've got eight more months to do what you need to. Wipe Hydra off the map, all that fun stuff. Just stay safe, and be home in time for the birth of your child. And stay home." Kayla added, her brows scrunched in seriousness. This was it. The end of the line.

"Okay." Steve lamented, a small smile on his face, "To Wakanda."

* * *

As Natasha landed the quinjet, Steve and Kayla could already see King T'Challa and Princess Shuri waiting on the tarmac for them. Kayla smiled at Steve as he took a deep breath, nerves overtaking his usually calm demeanor. Kayla took notice and chastised him, "What are you worried about? Wakanda may be one of the safest places in the world, especially for me. Nothing bad will happen here."

"I'm not worried about something bad happening here. I'm worried about leaving you." Steve answered quietly, taking her hand in his as the plane reached the ground. Kayla kissed his cheek, then allowed herself to drown in his blue eyes for a moment before they greeted the King.

"Captain."

Steve looked up at King T'Challa and smiled, going into Captain America mode, despite not feeling like him at all anymore. "Your Highness. Thank you for allowing us back. We appreciate your hospitality."

T'Challa nodded subtly, eyeing the soldier as he approached, "You said you needed a favor. Another one." A tiny smirk appeared on the King's face as he made fun of Steve.

"It wasn't my idea, I just made the call." Steve smiled back, shaking T'Challa's hand as Kayla sauntered up beside him. "We were hoping that Kayla could stay here for a while."

"Without you?" Shuri questioned, her hands on her hips as she watched the pleasantries being exchanged. She was curious as to this favor that was being called in so quickly from the Avengers.

Steve turned from the girl back to her brother, his breath catching as he placed his large hand on Kayla's stomach, giving away his request before he could even open his mouth. T'Challa nodded knowingly, looking toward his sister who pulled her fist down in victory. "You're pregnant." It was a statement, not a question, and Steve nodded slowly, waiting for the king to tell them she could stay. T'Challa looked to Kayla who smiled at him hopefully, her teeth escaping from her red lips. "You are welcome to stay as long as you need. Both of you."

"I'll only be here a few days. We have work to do." Steve quickly disclosed as T'Challa turned and led them all toward the palace. "Thank you for allowing her to stay though. I just need to make sure she's safe."

"She'll be perfectly safe here in Wakanda Captain, you don't need to worry about her. You though, need to stay out of trouble with a baby on the way." T'Challa scolded, knowing Kayla would do nothing but worry about her husband while he was away.

Steve scoffed, placing his hands on his hips defensively as Kayla held back a laugh. "I will be careful. I promise."

"Brother, I'll be seeing you in my lab to test that tech for me," Shuri called as she moved in the other direction, laughing as she did.

"What's that about?" Kayla asked as they approached the palace, the Dora Milaje warriors opening the doors for them.

T'Challa turned to face Kayla, stopping the Rogers in their tracks. "We had a bet why you were coming to Wakanda. I thought you needed a place to hide. She bet you'd be pregnant. I'll be helping her with her new advancements to the barrier wall technology." He turned to Ayo, who met his glance with an expressionless stare. "She'll show you to your room. If you need anything let us know. I'll give you time to get settled before dinner."

"Thank you T'Challa," Kayla said, reaching out to give the King a hug, much to Ayo's terror. T'Challa wrapped his arms around her, patting her back awkwardly as he watched Steve. The soldier smiled weakly, unfazed by his wife's behavior.

Once alone, Kayla opened up her suitcase and began to unpack. "I can't believe I'll be in one place for the next eight months! It's been so long since I had the same bed for more than one night."

"I remember happy memories in this bed," Steve said as he laid down against the plush mattress, patting the spot beside him. Kayla smirked at him seductively, but before she could join her husband, her dog leaped onto the bed and began licking his face. Kayla broke into a fit of giggles and continued unpacking as Steve tried to fight off the massive dog. "Damn it Zaddi!" He cursed as the dog panted in his face, keeping his attention away from the woman.

"You've already got one on the way, Darling..." Kayla muttered under her breath, but Steve caught her words, beaming up at her as he allowed himself to fall onto his back. Kayla looked at the man sprawled out on the mattress, and her heart ached a bit, "I'm going to miss you, Steve."

"I know. But I won't be gone too long. Then I'll be home for good. I promise."

"Doesn't make it any easier being pregnant alone," Kayla replied, and Steve crushed his eyes closed, trying to hide from her words. He felt bad enough about leaving Kay in the African country, but he had to protect her.

"You won't be alone." Steve promise, reaching up and grabbing Kayla's hand. "And I won't be gone long. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Kayla warned, her green eyes locking onto her husband's, "Do what you have to do to make this world safe for them. We'll be waiting for you."

"I don't have to leave yet."

"Good, because I'm tired, and I want you to rest with me a while," Kayla demanded, lowing her suitcase onto the floor and sliding into the bed on the other side of Zawadi, pressing her forehead against Steve's as she began to drift off to much-needed sleep.


	21. Week 83

Steve stretched his left arm over the side of the plush palace bed, careful not to flex his chest too much and wake his sleeping wife. Kayla was curled against his side, her face buried in the crook of his neck as her arm draped lazily over his chest, his right arm curled around her to secure the blonde woman to his side.

Both Steve and Kayla had been dreading this day for two weeks, and Cap almost considered not leaving. No one would think any less of him for choosing his pregnant wife over the lonely road of battle. But a little, panicky voice told him to go. Because he was scared of his future, and he wanted to cling to the one familiar thing he had left. Steve had to get all the fighting out of his system so he could be a present father when the baby arrived in just under eight months.

A father.

Steve had never known his father, and that fact caused his anxiety about the title to grow. He had no one to look up to, to learn from. He didn't even have anyone to ask for advice. He was going in blind, and he didn't want to let Kayla down. Steve felt like he let her down a lot.

The blonde shifted slightly, whining as she stretched out her legs and dug her face deeper into Steve's ribs. He rubbed his calloused thumb over her bare shoulder, memorizing how soft her skin felt. He wanted to store the feeling away for a lonely day when he was a thousand miles away from his family.

"Steve?" Kayla grumbled, lifting her head slightly to look at her husband's face. His stubble had grown into a short beard, but a beard none the less. His hair was the longest she'd ever seen it, and he didn't seem too keen on cutting it anytime soon. Steve was throwing his Captain America persona to the wind and becoming someone less idealistic.

"Kay." He murmured back, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I don't want to go."

"Then stay."

Steve pressed his eyes closed, his eyebrows drawing together. Kayla could see frustration written across his pained features, but he needed to know that he didn't have to do this. The only person he was fighting for was himself now. "I have to go. I just don't want to leave you... we were supposed to do this together."

Kayla pursed her lips, letting a beat pass before she answered, "You know I can't stay with you. It's too dangerous for the baby. It's bad enough you are going to go out and fight, but I can't risk letting them get hurt." Kayla rolled onto her back, placing her hands on her stomach as a smile spread across her face. It was a common occurrence the past two weeks: whenever she'd think about her baby she'd touch her belly, wanting to feel connected to the barely existent person who lived inside her.

Steve rolled from his back to his side, placing his left hand on top of the hand on her stomach, "I know. You two are the most important people in my life. I'm doing this for them. And for you. So my family can be safe. So all families can be safe."

"That's a lot of responsibility for one person Steve. But I know you think you need to do it. So I won't argue. But I'll miss you. Seven months is so long without you..." Kayla frowned, her green eyes glistening from the tears that pooled in them. Steve kissed the corner of her lips softly, pressing his face to the side of her head. He didn't have to say the words for Kayla to know what he was thinking. He'd miss her too.

A low whine emitted from the foot of the bed where Zawadi was resting, his head still pressed against the mattress. He understood that Steve was leaving, and he was already sad to see him go. "Hey, big guy," Steve called softly to the dog as he sat up in bed, the covers sat around his waist. Zawadi lifted his head, then moved to sit on Steve's lap, leaning himself against Steve's chest. "I'll miss you too Buddy. You'll take good care of Kayla while I'm gone right?" Zawadi barked loudly, his tongue hanging out happily. He licked Steve's face, planting a long trail of slobber over his beard. "Thanks for that. I'm going to go shower Kay." Steve looked back toward his wife who was still holding her stomach, staring at it thoughtfully. "You okay Hun?"

"Hmm?" Kayla lifted her eyes to meet Steve's then pushed herself to sit up and lean against the headboard. She'd been especially tired the past few days, being pregnant was really taking its toll on her. "I'm fine. I'm sorry. I'm just, thinking."

"About what?"

"About this." She pointed to her stomach again, as if it were a mysterious creature. "About our life when they come."

"She." Steve corrected, a playful smirk on his face as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Kayla raised a brow at her husband, "What makes you so sure it's a girl?"

"I just have a feeling." Steve shrugged, heading to the bathroom.

"I have a feeling you are wrong!" Kayla called before he could close the door, but he didn't turn around, even if he did pause at her words. As the bathroom door clicked shut, Kayla stood, immediately feeling a bit woozy on her feet. Zawadi dutifully pounced from the bed to her side, allowing her to place her hand on his back for balance. "Thanks, Zaddi." She mumbled before moving toward the couch. She was barely pregnant, but damn this baby was taking a lot out of her. Or maybe her heart was just aching from the thought of Steve leaving. That seemed almost more likely.

After a few minutes, she heard the shower stop and she looked over the back of the seat, resting her chin on it as she waited for Steve to emerge. When he finally did, he was wearing his tattered uniform. His wet hair was combed back, but still looking unruly despite being clean. The uniform was as clean as it had been in months, because Kayla had carefully cleaned it several days prior, wanting it to be nice for him when this day came. She tried to smile at him, but it came out more sad than happy, "You look good."

"Thanks." Steve replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "I suppose I should see how the others are coming?"

"I didn't think you'd leave this early," Kayla admitted, hoping she'd get to spend more of the day with her husband and friends before they departed.

Steve closed the gap between them as she stood, wrapping his arms around her as she leaned into him, "If I don't go now, I'll never leave you. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"Don't make me say it again Steve." Kayla threatened, pushing him away a little.

"I got something for you." Steve changed the subject quickly, opening one of the pouches on his belt to pull out his compass. He handed it to Kayla, but she eyed it wearily before taking it. Steve pushed it closer to her, "Just look inside."

Kayla knew Steve had kept the old photo of Peggy Carter in his compass long after they'd been dating. She hadn't seen the old thing in years, and kind of figured it didn't work anyway. It was just a keepsake for the old man. The blonde took it gingerly from Steve's palm and popped it open, smiling at the photo inside. Kayla ran her finger over the color photo of her and Steve from their date so many years ago when he finally took her out dancing. He was tilting her chin up to kiss her sweetly, and she was practically beaming despite her eyes being closed.

"Steve-" Kayla started, looking up from the compass as Steve rubbed her upper arms, proud of himself for making his girl happy. "It's perfect Steve." She tried to hand it back to him, but he shook his head.

"You keep it. I don't need it. I'll always find my way back to you."

"You can be so cheesy sometimes it kills me, but I love you so damn much." Kayla grabbed Steve roughly by the back of the neck and began to kiss him. Zawadi barked loudly at the pair, wagging his tail. They broke apart and looked at him expectantly, but he just wanted attention.

Steve smirked at the Rhodesian Ridgeback, placing his hands on his hips, "Oh, I got a goodbye present for you too Zaddi. For taking such good care of Mommy while I'm away. I'll be right back."

Kayla squished her face in confusion, not understanding what Steve had gotten their _dog _as a going away present. Then again, Steve did feel like he somewhat owed the canine for taking care of Kayla. After spending a day as the dog, Steve understood how serious Zawadi took his role as Kayla's companion. Kayla waited patiently for a few minutes, arms crossing as she watched the door, then looking to the dog expectantly. Zawadi just panted toward the door though, waiting for Steve to return with his surprise.

After about ten minutes, the bedroom door swung open and Steve entered cradling in his arms a large chestnut dog that perfectly matched Zawadi, except its ears and snout weren't as dark as Zaddi's were. Kayla stared at the dog with wide eyes. "You got- another one?" She gawked, suddenly aware that she had come to possess two massive Rhodesian Ridgebacks while living by herself in Africa.

"Yes. Because you promised Zawadi a mate. So I got him one." Steve put the wiggling dog on the ground and she quickly scampered over to Zawadi. He stood quietly as she sniffed at him, eventually looking up to Kayla for permission to greet the other dog. When the blonde nodded, Zawadi returned the favor, sniffing her butt before she nipped at him, causing Zawadi to whimper and hide behind Kayla. Kay looked to her husband who just shrugged, "I didn't expect love at first sight, but at least he won't be alone. And it'll give you someone else to take care of while I'm away."

"Does she have a name?" Kayla asked, reaching down to scratch the female behind the ears. She gave Kayla's hand a long lick and then went back to investigating Zawadi, who was watching her wearily.

"Her name is Sasa." Steve started, and she looked up at him expectantly, showing Kayla he'd already taught her her name, "It means present. Apparently,it means present as in now, but I thought Sasa and Zawadi seemed like a good fit. Because the names are Present and Gift. You know?"

Kayla shook her head in mock disbelief, but she could see Zawadi finally warming up to the friendly female, "I can't believe you got me another dog."

A curt knock on their bedroom door caused Sasa to bark wildly at it, which in turn caused Zawadi to join her, bolting toward the door. Kayla threw Steve a pointed look and he just shrugged, his jaw hanging open awkwardly. He was closest to the door so he got there first before shooing the dogs away. "Sit." He commanded, and both plopped onto their bottoms instantly, obeying the Captain. He opened the door slowly, revealing Natasha standing on the other side. Her white hair was wavy, proving she'd been out of the shower for a while. She was dressed in her stealth suit with an army green vest over it. Natasha was ready to leave.

Kayla's breath caught in her throat at the sight of her friend, and Nat didn't pretend not to notice. "I'm sorry Kay. It's time." Natasha grim smile promised Kayla that she'd protect Steve, as she had been for years. Kayla trusted the Black Widow more than anyone with her husband because loyalty ran deeper in Natasha than anyone else she knew.

Kayla nodded and forced a smile, pulling on a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top. She pulled on her black boots and followed Steve out the door, slowly closing the two dogs. She followed Steve and Natasha out to the tarmac where Sam was already waiting. T'Challa had come to see them off with Okoye and Ayo on either side of him.

When Sam saw Kayla, he moved to her quickly and embraced her, holding her tightly. "Take care Kay. Please keep us updated on baby okay?" Sam asked as he pulled away, and Kayla would never admit that there were tears in his eyes.

"I will. I promise. Be safe." She commanded as Natasha took his place, wrapping her arms around the other blonde, "Please take care of them, Nat. Please make sure Steve is safe." Kayla begged, holding Natasha a little tighter as she felt the assassin nod her head.

"I promise."

Short and simple. Nat and Sam knew that's how it had to be. They both shook T'Challa's hand and thanked him for his hospitality again before standing at the edge of the quinjet, watching the heartbreaking goodbye between Mr. and Mrs. Rogers.

"Steve, I-"

He pulled her into a deep kiss, holding her face to his roughly. His right hand held her upper neck as his left held her lower back, keeping her flush against him as he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, not unhappy about the arrangement. When neither of them could breathe, they finally broke apart, gasping without letting go of their tight grip on each other. Steve was the first to speak, his blue eyes trained on hers, "I love you so much, Kay. I'll be back soon. I swear on my life. I'll be back for both of you."

"You better Rogers." Kayla answered, stroking his bearded cheek before placing one last kiss on his pink lips, "I love you, darling."

Steve knew if he didn't go at that moment, then he'd lose his courage and not go at all, or Kayla would remind him that he didn't _have _to go. But he went anyway.

The Captain stormed away from Kayla, angry at himself for pulling away from his wife. He moved to the quinjet and didn't look back. Kayla smiled up at the jet as it rose into the air and sped away, causing her mid-length hair to blow wildly around her face. She turned to T'Challa, seeing his worried eyes trained on her. "I'm fine."

"You may say that, but you don't always say what you really feel." That's all T'Challa said before he walked away, knowing Kayla would come to him if she needed him. She continued to stand on the hot tarmac, looking up into the sky where the quinjet had left, knowing she'd do nothing but wait until it returned.


	22. Week 85

The two weeks of Steve's absence were hell for Kayla Rogers. Especially because, at only two months pregnant, she was definitely showing more than she should have been. Since Kayla spent hours upon hours alone with Sasa and Zawadi, she used her newfound free time to prepare to be a mom. She studied books and magazines online, and occasionally visited Shuri to get her professional opinion. She would often shrug, informing Kayla that everything seemed normal, even if she was growing a bit more rapidly than expecting. According to her research, Kayla's baby was the equivalent of four months along, even if conceived half of that time ago.

"How's baby?" Steve asked one Monday evening as Kayla laid across her couch, her feet up in the air by the open glass door.

Kayla rested a hand on her belly, but as per usual, she couldn't feel anything. "Baby's good. Growing fast."

"Have you felt her move yet?" Steve asked again, and Kayla scoffed.

"You keep saying her. It may not be a girl. And no, not yet. Baby is still too little."

Steve was quiet for a moment on the other side of the line, and Kayla was alarmed that she'd hurt his feelings. Finally, he responded, "I'd be happy for a son. The idea of a son just makes me nervous. A girl, well, you'd know how to raise a girl."

Kayla smiled at her husband's nervousness, "You'll be a wonderful father to a son or daughter. We'll figure it out together. As a team."

"How are the dogs?" Steve asked casually, and Kayla could tell that he was no longer alone, because he was suddenly very professional and not as quiet.

"Sasa and Zaddi? They are doing well. I'm guessing there will be puppies long before there is a baby." Kayla giggled as Zawadi lifted his head to look at her before laying it back down against Sasa's back.

"Puppies will be fun," Steve said casually, but his tone warned Kayla he'd be leaving soon. "I've got to go honey, but I'll call you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too."

As the line clicked, Kayla sighed, letting the phone fall off the side of the couch. She was bored. Shuri was busy designing Wakanda's newest technological advances, but Kayla wasn't in the mood for building things. And she sure as hell had no business around chemicals while pregnant. So she spent more time alone with the dogs, staring at the ceiling, hand on her belly, waiting for her child to move.

After two more days of that, Kayla had an idea. As lonely as she was, she didn't want to bother the King and Princes from their work. The Dora Milaje didn't care much for her, although Ayo found Kayla quite entertaining when she collected her for dinner. That being said, Kayla needed something to keep her busy.

Kayla wandered toward the stable, finding the horse she'd claimed as her own. She pressed a kiss to the horse's snout before saddling the black stallion up. Once she mounted him, she pulled the reins and took off into the wilderness of Wakanda, Sasa and Zawadi chasing behind her. As they moved away from the palace, the dogs took the lead, racing each other at full speed. Kayla pushed her horse faster, following the dogs as they ran.

After several minutes of sprinting, Kayla heard Zawadi barking loudly, and galloped over the crest of a hill to reveal a small hut on the other side, Zawadi and Sasa charging at it. "Shit." Kayla swore as she chased after them, calling loudly to the dogs, "Zawadi! Get back here! Sasa!"

The female dog stopped and sat diligently outside the hut, but Zawadi charged inside, and Kayla quickly dismounted, leaving the horse to his own devices as she didn't have time to tie him up. She heard the low growl of her angry dog inside the hut and pushed aside the red canvas to enter. "Zaddi, stop-" Kayla stopped in her tracks when she saw Zawadi's victim, but she quickly clicked to get his attention away.

Kayla eyed the man cautiously, and he returned her gaze.

"I didn't know you guys were back here."

"Steve and I didn't know you were awake," Kayla answered Bucky, taking a step closer to grab the skin of Zawadi's neck and tug him as gently as she could to get him away from the Winter Soldier. "How long have you been out here?"

Bucky watched her, seeing the fear in her eyes. She still didn't fully trust him. When Steve was around, Kayla was sure of herself, but alone, she seemed very self-conscious and nervous. "Since last week."

Kayla took in the information, nodding slowly as she knelt down to pet Zawadi. The large dog continued to growl at Barnes, showing aggression Kayla hadn't seen in him before. It was odd. "Steve left two weeks ago. Went back out to finish what he started or some shit. I'm here alone."

It was Bucky's turn to nod, listening to the blonde's words quietly. It made sense. Steve would have come to see him if he was still here, but he was already gone. Bucky watched Kayla for a moment, not speaking, waiting for her to say something to him. She held his gaze though, swallowing her nerves. Finally, Barnes broke the heavy silence, "You're afraid of me."

Kayla opened her mouth to answer, pulling her hair to one side anxiously to keep her free hand busy. She wasn't afraid of Bucky... she may have been afraid of the Winter Soldier though. "I just... want to make sure you are okay... you went into cryo for a reason."

"You shouldn't be here alone. How did you find me?" Bucky asked instead, taking a different approach.

Kayla gestured toward the dog who she held, her left arm wrapped around him massaging his teeth to get him to ease up his jaw, "I was riding. The dogs came this way, I just followed. I wasn't alone, I have them."

"Your dog hates me."

"I see that. He loves Steve."

"Everyone loves Steve." Bucky retorted, the smallest smile crossing his face. "Why are you here without him? I thought you were going with Steve? Three years or something like that-" Bucky stopped talking as she stood, her hand instinctively resting on her stomach. He saw that she'd put on a bit of weight, and he knew as well as anyone that shouldn't happen to someone with super soldier serum. "Oh."

"I'm two months along. Steve will be back before the baby is born. It'll just be a long seven months until then..." Kayla trailed off, looking around the bland hut, "You are alone."

Bucky nodded his right fist clenching and unclenching nervously. He didn't speak again. He had nothing else to say. The soldier lumbered past Kayla slowly, watching her snarling dog as he pushed aside the canvas to leave his small home. Once outside, he grabbed onto a chunk of hay with his only arm and made his way towards a small group of goats. Kayla followed him out into the hot African sun, shielding her eyes as she watched him. She turned to the male dog, who had sat himself next to his mate. "Stay. Both of you." Kayla pointed at Zawadi before following Bucky.

The man grunted as he chucked the hay at the goats, causing them to scatter. "I think you are supposed to feed them the hay, not use them as target practice." Kayla joked as she approached, but Bucky didn't even look back at her. Kayla tilted her head to the side, wondering what the large man was thinking, "You have any extra for my horse?"

At that, Barnes lifted his head and turned, his long brunette hair flinging away from his face, "Why? You plan on staying a while?"

"I've got nowhere else to be. You don't either I assume. What are you doing out here?" Kayla responded curtly, wanting Bucky to invite her to spend time with him. She was lonely, and they had someone in common.

"Recuperating," Bucky said simply as he walked past Kayla again, not meeting her eyes. He sauntered over to several haybales and grabbed one a little too easily and walked over to her black horse, dropping it at his hooves. The large animal side eyed Bucky, not liking the large man. None of Kayla's animals seemed too fond of her husband's best friend.

"Nice, uh, herd of goats you've got here," Kayla said lamely, trying to make small talk now that he'd accepted she wasn't leaving.

"They're a tribe."

"Oh, like, they are your people now?" Kayla teased, her mouth breaking apart in a silent laugh.

Bucky just stared at her, his face emotionless. "No. A group of sheep is a herd. A group of goats is called a tribe- What exactly do you want Kayla?"

Kayla twisted her mouth thoughtfully, "I'm lonely. Steve left, and I'm pregnant, and I want somebody to talk to who isn't responsible for running the nation of Wakanda."

Bucky's dark eyes practically bore a whole in Kayla's skull as he listened to her explanation. He wasn't exactly looking for company, but he felt like he owed it to Steve to take care of his girl. It's not like Steve's ever had one before. "Fine. You can stay." Bucky gestured to the inside of his hut, allowing Kayla to enter first.

Once inside, Kayla allowed herself to take in James Barnes. After her accidental trip to the forties, she could see the man Steve knew. At least a little. She _understood_ why Steve cared so much for Bucky, but she wasn't sure if there was any Bucky left inside the Winter Soldier. The man in front of her was hardened by war and death and torture. If there was any care-free, fun-loving personality hidden inside the super soldier, it was buried _very_ deep.

"So. How are you feeling?" Kayla started slowly, watching as Bucky sat beside her on his cot.

"Better."

"That's good." She replied simply, biting the inside of her cheek. "I guess not much else is new since you've been... unconscious."

Barnes turned toward Kayla, and he was smiling. "Yeah, I haven't exactly been up to much. I can't say the same for you though. I can't believe Steve is going to be a father."

"Yeah," Kayla said dreamily as she pat her stomach, "It's a bit sooner than we planned, but I think it'll be a blessing. He'll be done fighting soon."

"He's an idiot." Bucky blurted out and Kayla's brow raised in question. Bucky sighed, "If I had a beautiful dame like you waiting for me, I'd give up the fight. He's taking you for granted."

Kayla opened her mouth, trying to formulate her defense for her husband. "You know Steve can't do that. Doing what's right is in his blood-"

"Yeah in the form of super soldier serum. He can't walk away from a fight because that's _amplified _and he thinks he _can't_. He's too thick headed to see past his purpose in life and take advantage of the great things life has given him." Bucky snapped back, and Kayla could sense a hint of jealousy in his words. He softened, confirming her suspicion, "Not all of us have been so lucky."

"Bucky, I-" Kayla started, but she really had nothing to say.

"All I'm saying is make that punk treat you right, or I will. That child needs its father. Don't let him forget how much you mean to him. I know how much you mean to him." Bucky said, standing quickly and heading toward the exit of his hut. Kayla knew it was time for her to go.

As Kayla left the hut, she turned back to Barnes, "Can I come back again?"

"Yes. Please do." Bucky answered quickly as Kayla reached up to her saddle, preparing to mount the stallion. Bucky held up his one hand to help her up, but she pulled herself easily into the seat, looking back at him.

"I can take care of myself you know." She reassured the man, seeing the way his eyes softened at her as she settled into the seat.

He nodded slowly, "I know you can. But you shouldn't have to."

Kayla smiled in return, then clicked her tongue, calling the dogs to follow her as she pulled the reins to the right, turning her horse back toward the palace of Wakanda. Bucky watched her leave, feeling guilty for making her upset. But his best friend was ignoring the best thing in his century-long life, and Bucky couldn't help but resent him a bit because of it.

* * *

Kayla waited outside the Wakandan palace, seeing the quinjet landing in front of her. Her heart beat faster as she waited to see him. Steve was late. He'd been gone almost a year, and his child was almost four months old. Kayla held the baby against her chest with one strong arm, bouncing on the balls of her feet as Sam turned off the engine to the quinjet.

"Don't worry Kay. Everything will be fine." Bucky whispered from behind her as she continued to bounce, riling the small child in her arms. She stopped her movements to focus on quieting the child, wanting her to be happy when she met her father for the first time.

"Shh, darling, shhhh. It's okay. Daddy's home." She cooed to the child and beamed up at the jet as the back door opened. She held her breath, waiting for its passengers to disembark. She took a quick step toward the jet, but Natasha emerged quickly, grabbing onto her shoulders.

The movement was enough to set off Kayla. She looked the blonde assassin in the eyes, seeing the Black Widow more shaken than she ever had. Kayla opened her mouth to ask where her husband was, but Natasha realized her error and broke into a smile, reaching out toward the baby. "Look at this little one! Can I hold her? Auntie Natasha has been waiting to meet you!" Nat grabbed the child quickly, a little too quickly. She needed to get the baby away from Kayla.

Kayla turned back to the quinjet and saw Sam walking down the plank, head down. "Sam. Sam Wilson." Kayla stormed toward him, but he caught her arms before she could enter the jet. She looked over his shoulder, seeing the quinjet was empty. "Sam? Sam where's Steve? Sam... Sam?..."

The pilot wrapped his arms around Kayla, embracing her in a hug, but she fell to her knees, slipping through his fingers. Sam knelt down with her, letting himself fall to the ground as she wept. Bucky moved past the crying widow, and looked into the quinjet himself. Once he got closer to the front, he saw there was a tarp over something. Barnes slowly pulled back the tarp, revealing Steve's pale body underneath. He didn't realize Kayla had gotten away from Sam, and was standing only a few feet behind Bucky.

She began to sob and screamed as Bucky turned and carried her out of the jet, far away from Steve's body. Her eyes fell on her daughter, knowing she'd never meet her father-

Kayla sprung up from her bed, sweat dripping from her face and chest. She swung her legs over the bedside and sprinted toward the bathroom, turning the water on as cold as she could make it before splashing it over her face. She breathed deeply, pressing her hand to her stomach. Baby was still, as they always were. Zawadi pattered into the bathroom, licking Kayla's hand. He could always tell when she wasn't feeling well, or when she was upset. And she was very very upset. She sat on the floor and allowed the large dog to cuddle up to her, pushing his weight against her side so she could hold onto him. She allowed herself to cry, and get out all the awful visuals trapped in her mind's eye.

"I'm sorry baby, I'm sorry." Kayla cried, but even she wasn't sure if she was talking to the dog or her actual baby. Kayla quickly lept to her feet and charged back into the bedroom, startling Sasa awake at the foot of her bed. "Sorry Sasa." She apologized to the female dog as she reached for her cell phone, checking the time.

_3:52_

_I don't care, I'm calling him. I need to hear his voice. _

"Steve? Steve?" Kayla whimpered when the phone clicked on, cradling the phone to her ear with bated breath.

"Yeah? What's wrong Kay? Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Steve's voice tumbled out nervously, needing to know why his wife sounded so upset. "Do you need me to come back? I can leave right now-"

"I'm fine darling. I just... needed to hear your voice. How are you? I'm sorry to call so late. I- I had a nightmare. I needed to know you were okay." Kayla stumbled, finally able to release the breath she'd been holding. "I love you honey."

"I love you too Kay. I'm okay. I promise. I'm being very careful."

"He shot a grenade with a crossbow today!"

"Sam!" Steve barked, but Kayla laughed, and the sound brought a deep sigh from the other side. "I'm sorry Kay, but I should go. Sam wants to go back to sleep. I love you so much, and I'll be home soon."

"I love you too Steve. Goodnight." Kayla clicked the phone off and set it back on the desk before climbing back into the bed. As she pulled the covers over herself, she saw Zawadi standing next to her, watching her carefully. She patted the empty side of the bed that belonged to Steve and Zawadi scampered to the other side before launching himself up onto the bed. Sasa quickly followed suit and the two large dogs settled in next to Kayla. She draped her arm over Zawadi and he snuggled up to her, Sasa close behind him. The warmth helped lull Kayla back to sleep, so even her subconscious knew she wasn't alone.


	23. Week 93

The rains swept Wakanda quickly, and the thunder shook the palace as lightning lit up the sky. This was a terrible night for Kayla to be surrounded by six two week old Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies who were just beginning to walk about.

"Hey, hey come back here! Please don't... puppy...uhhh" Kayla groaned as she leaned away from the dog bed filled with chestnut dogs to grab the runt who had stumbled out and started waddling away. Zawadi stood next to Kayla, panting happily until another lightning bolt struck nearby, causing him to dive into Kayla's lap and whimper.

The blonde woman chuckled and wrapped her arms around the massive dog, holding him as he tried to hide from the storm. "It's okay baby. It's okay. Can you be brave for the little ones? If you are scared, they'll be super scared-"

The crack across the sky caused Kayla to hold Zawadi instinctively, but she felt baby wiggling around in her stomach. It seemed like her child grew more every day, and became more and more active, causing her stomach to flip from the movement. "Not you too baby. The puppies are bad enough. It's okay. It's okay." Kayla cooed down at her stomach, but her heart hurt from facing this storm alone. Sasa placed her head around her brood, keeping them from wandering off again. Kayla could see her spine was stiff every time the thunder echoed through the room, but she was too tired to react like Zawadi.

_I wish I wasn't alone. I wish Steve were here..._

A knock resonated from her bedroom door, and she rose quickly, Zawadi trotting beside her to see who was visiting her. She peaked her head out the door to see Ayo standing on the other side. The Dora Milaje warrior had her spear in one hand, the other limp at her side as she watched Kayla. "Mrs. Rogers, how are you doing? How are the little ones doing with the storm?" She asked, tilting her head to see around Kayla at the little ones nursing at the foot of the bed.

"They are trouble. Squirmy and yappy. They aren't as jumpy as their father though." Kayla patted Zawadi's head, and he continued to pant happily, enjoying the company of the Dora.

Ayo nodded slowly, considering her next words. "Sergent Barnes was invited to the palace when King T'Challa got word of the impending storm. The King thought you may want to see him while he is here."

"I don't think I should leave the little ones in this storm, they'll tinkle everywhere," Kayla said through gritted teeth as she spotted the largest pup sniffing the side of the wall to her left. "Could you fetch him and bring him here? I could use all the help I can get."

"Of course Mrs. Rogers," Ayo answered, giving Kayla a quick bow of the head before leaving. Kayla closed her door slowly, taking a deep breath. Over the past eight weeks, she'd visited Bucky at his hut every four or five days. He'd tell her stories about growing up in Brooklyn with Steve, and everything she'd seen from her time in the past and her knowledge of her husband seemed to click together with his insight. They enjoyed each other's company, both of them finding happiness in the memories of Steve Rogers. The only problem was he was gone, and they were there, and it should have been Steve by her side instead of his best friend.

Two brief knocks were accompanied by the door screeching open slowly, and the Winter Soldier appeared from the other side. Zawadi immediately went on the defensive, growling at the large man who had entered his domain. He moved to his little pack of puppies and stood between Bucky and them, snarling at the soldier.

"I don't understand why your dog still hates me." He mumbled as he made a wide circle, finally stopping and sitting on Kayla's couch. She moved to sit on the edge of her bed, a good five feet from the couch and the window as the storm continued to rage on.

"He's... an oddball. But I love him." Kayla defended as she patted the mattress next to her and Zawadi jumped up, laying down beside her, even if his eyes were turned to watch Barnes. Kayla rubbed the dog's head before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his top, even though it did nothing to ease his judgemental gaze.

Bucky looked from Zawadi to the small bed of puppies at the edge of the bed. "They are cute. Maybe they won't hate me." He chuckled, and Kayla outright laughed, sliding off the edge of the bed to kneel beside the puppies. She scooped two up, one in each hand, and brought them over to Bucky, despite Zawadi's snarling complaints.

"Here." Kayla plopped the runt into Bucky's right hand and sat the other girl on his thigh, letting her sniff at him as he held her sister. The soldier tensed at the small dogs, clearly worried about hurting them. Kayla watched him intently, seeing how he'd react to the two. "They aren't so bad. The runt likes snuggles. She's adventurous, even if she's tiny."

"Sounds like someone else I know.' Bucky laughed softly, eyes still locked onto the small dogs. "How are you holding up? I haven't seen you in a few days."

Kayla sat cross-legged on the floor, scooping up two of the four remaining puppies to hold one in each hand against her chest. "I'm fine. Baby has been moving a lot. They are practically doing cartwheels for this storm." Kayla gestured out the window as another lightning bolt struck the field beyond. "I wish Steve was here. I feel like he's missing everything."

Kayla winced and placed a hand to her stomach after depositing one of the puppies back onto the bed with his mother. Bucky watched her intently, realizing that the baby was moving. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words he wanted to say. He wasn't Steve. He didn't know what the woman needed. He just knew she needed her husband, and her husband wasn't here. Steve would want him to take care of her. But, Steve would also want him to keep his distance from her. It was a fine line, one that both Bucky and Kayla tread carefully.

"You want to feel it? The baby? Come here." Kayla directed, never taking her right hand off of her stomach as the puppy in her left hand started whining to get down.

Barnes slowly lowered the runt to the floor, allowing her to scamper back to her mother before picking up the dog's sister with his one hand and carrying her to the floor where Kayla sat. He sat beside her, his knees aching in the position, but he wouldn't tell her that. Bucky also wouldn't tell her his hand was shaking as he slowly placed it on her stomach, letting her guide it to where the baby was moving around. Bucky shouldn't be this close to Steve's wife. He shouldn't be touching his baby. Hell, _Steve_ hadn't even felt his baby move yet.

But who's fault was that?

"I... I can feel it." Bucky whispered, his voice barely audible. "I've never- well, I don't remember ever feeling a baby move before."

He quickly removed his hand and scooped up the little runt again, holding her to his large chest, but she didn't seem to mind, quickly resting against him. Kayla smiled down at her stomach, not sensing Bucky's apprehension. She was just happy. Happy to share her little life with someone, anyone.

It was at that moment that Kayla's phone rang. She looked up at the table it sat on and groaned as she started to move. Her pregnancy made it harder to move than she would have liked, but baby was taking a lot out of her. Shuri wasn't alarmed by the baby's progress, but she was monitoring it closely.

"I'll get it." Bucky offered, standing while still holding the puppy. He quickly realized his mistake, but didn't abandon her, he simply scooped the phone in between his fingers, still carrying the little dog as he brought the device back to Kayla.

"Thank you." Kayla mouthed as she grabbed the phone from his occupied hand and answered it quickly after seeing who was on the other line, "Hey Steve!"

"How's my best girl today?" Steve asked, and she could tell he was smiling. She could hear it in his voice. A loud crack of thunder shook the bedroom, causing Steve's next words to come out far more worried, "Are you okay? Is it storming there?"

"Uh, it's awful Steve. It's been raining for two days, but today is the worst. I wish you were here..." Kayla trailed off, gazing out into the pouring rain as it saturated the field beyond the palace. "Bucky is here. Do you want to say hello?"

"Bucky?"

"Yeah, I told you how he's living on the outskirts of the capital city, T'challa brought him to the palace when the storm started rolling in," Kayla explained, scratching behind Sasa's ears.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Yeah, could I talk to Buck?"

"Of course, here you go," Kayla said casually before handing the phone over to Bucky, who took it gently. He quickly moved away from Kayla to talk to Steve in private, which she was miffed about, but wouldn't say anything to the man.

* * *

"You taking care of my wife while I'm away?" Steve teased, and Bucky paled, unsure if his friend was thankful or angry.

"I'm just... checking in. Making sure she's okay. She's been doing the same for me. She misses you. A lot." Bucky said shortly, trying to defuse any issues that may arise from his presence.

Steve laughed, "I'd expect nothing less from Kay. I'm glad you are there. Gives her someone to talk to."

"We both miss you, Steve. I... I got to feel the baby move."

Silence.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck, his long hair sticky from sweat. He didn't know how to respond. Of course, Bucky had felt his child before he did. Steve _wasn't there. _

_What the hell am I doing with my life? _

"Steve?"

Steve leaned back to stare at the roof of the quinjet, his hand still holding the back of his neck as he sighed, "I'm here. I'm glad you are there for her. She needs someone to share this all with."

"It should be you."

"I know," Steve admitted, blowing air out his mouth as he saw Natasha get behind the controls of the plane, preparing to take off. "Can I talk to Kay again?"

Bucky silently walked back to Kayla, handing her the phone as she looked up at him with a smile, "You two done telling each other secrets?" She asked into the phone, allowing a small puppy to chew on her pointer finger of her free hand.

"I'd never keep any secrets from you, Kay," Steve said quickly, but the blonde wasn't worried about his conversation with Bucky. She trusted her husband and worked hard to make sure the feeling stayed mutual. "I have to tell you something, Kayla."

She gulped, hearing him say her full name knew it was serious, and she wasn't going to like it. "Yeah?"

"We are going undercover in Syria. Terrorists have gotten a hold of Chitauri fueled weapons. We'll be undercover for several weeks... I- won't be able to talk. I'll keep my phone on me, in case of emergencies. If anything happens with you or the baby, make sure you call-"

"I understand Steve." Kayla sighed, letting her head fall into the palm of her hand as her elbow rested on her growing stomach, "Just please be careful. Come home soon? Maybe for a visit after you are done? I'd like to see you, it's been months..."

Steve looked to Natasha, who shook her head, knowing they were getting into the thick of things now, and it would take something big to derail their plans. "Maybe. I'll do my best. I promise. Make sure Buck is taking care of you alright? He owes me one for saving his life."

"You hear that?" Kayla asked the Winter Soldier as she held the phone away from her mouth.

"Yup. And I'll do my best punk." He said quietly, but Steve was easily able to catch his friend's words.

"I love you so much Kay. I promise I'll call you as soon as I can. Please be safe." Steve begged, knowing she wasn't the one in danger.

She shook her head, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to escape, "I'll do my best. I love you too Steve."

Neither said goodbye, but Kayla clicked the phone off first, letting it fall to the ground. Zawadi jumped from the bed to her side, snuggling up to her as he always did. It was almost a ritual now after she talked with Steve, he'd comfort her because she'd almost always cry.

"I should go. You should rest. Don't cry over Steve. It'll only make him feel bad." Bucky joked as he held down his right hand to help the mother up. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet quickly. She walked him to the door and smiled as he left, but she had nothing to say.

Kayla wandered back to the large window overlooking the lush fields of Wakanda. She watched as the rain poured down, giving life to everything.

But she didn't know that in three weeks, that field would bring nothing but dust and blood to her and her friends and family. She didn't know that her Steve would return- and it would cost her everything.

Author's Note: Welp, there's that. Thanks for reading my little side project to my baby From Erskine to Ellis. If you haven't read that, then I'm sure you are SUPER confused. (But also you should read it, it's my pride and joy! Thanks for reading and may we all survive Endgame!


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